"The audacity to even take it on" – Rio Ferdinand reserves special praise for Manchester United star despite loss against Chelsea

Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has heaped praise on Antony for his fine assist to Alejandro Garnacho in his team's recent 4-3 Premier League away defeat at Chelsea.

Earlier this Thursday (April 4), the Red Devils slumped to their 12th league loss of the ongoing campaign. After Conor Gallagher and Cole Palmer netted a goal each in the opening 19 minutes, Garnacho and Bruno Fernandes helped United restore parity in the first half.

Later on, Garnacho netted his second of the night to put Manchester United ahead for the first time in their recent clash against Chelsea. He headed the ball in after a stellar outside of the boot cross from Antony.

Following Garnacho's 67th-minute goal, Ferdinand hailed the Brazilian attacker for his fine show of technical ability on the right flank. He told TNT Sports (h/t United in Focus):

"Antony has just produced one of the balls of the season. The audacity to even take it on."

Rangers legend Ally McCoist agreed with Ferdinand and commented:

"Without a doubt. I thought Antony looked really bright. The finish is excellent, he's brave, the goalkeeper comes out, and he just knocks it by him. Watch this, it's all about the pass, is all about the pass for me, absolutely different class, it really is."

However, Manchester United failed to hold on to their narrow lead against Chelsea in the end. The hosts bounced back deep in injury time as Palmer netted two goals to hand his side a memorable home victory.

Antony, on the other hand, laid out his first Premier League assist in his 24th game earlier this Thursday. The 24-year-old has contributed two goals and two assists in 32 matches across competitions this season.

Chelsea superstar Cole Palmer remarks on recent 4-3 triumph over Manchester United

After the end of Chelsea's recent home game, Cole Palmer shared his thoughts on netting two late goals to complete a comeback against Manchester United. He said (h/t Mirror):

"We were 2-0 up and then we made silly mistakes. When the eight minutes got added on, it gave us a lift and I thought: 'Let's go for it'. It was madness. We need to try to win as many games as possible, but to win like that, there is nothing better. We thought when we scored the third goal, the fans lifted us and I saw the gaffer say there were two minutes left... and thankfully, I scored again."

Palmer, who joined the Blues from Manchester City in a potential £45 million move last summer, scored his first professional hat-trick against Manchester United. The 21-year-old completed 31 of 42 passes and one of two dribbles, and created eight chances on Thursday.

So far this season, Palmer has found the back of the net 19 times and provided 12 assists in 36 outings across all competitions for Chelsea.