Rio Ferdinand salutes Mason Mount as Chelsea FC beat Man City to win Champions League
Rio Ferdinand was highly impressed by Mason Mount's performance in Chelsea FC's 1-0 win over Man City in the Champions League final
Rio Ferdinand singled out Mason Mount for special praise after he helped Chelsea FC to claim a 1-0 win over Manchester City in the Champions League final.
Chelsea FC started brightly in Porto and they took the lead in the 42nd minute when Kai Havertz rounded Ederson and slotted home into an empty net to score his first Champions League goal.
The Blues outplayed the the Citizens for large portions of the game and they were expertly set up throughout the clash to contain the threat posed by the newly-crowned Premier League champions.
Christian Pulisic, who replaced Timo Werner in the 66th minute, had an exellent chance to put the Blues 2-0 up shortly after coming on but his dinked finish went wide of the post.
In the end, the south west London side managed to hold on through seven minutes of second-half stoppage time to claim glory and secure their second-ever Champions League trophy after their triumph in 2012.
Former Manchester United star Ferdinand was incredibly impressed by Mount’s contribution for the opening goal in Portugal.
“The pace of it [the first half] was great,” Ferdinand said on BT Sport at half-time. “[It] started off like a house on fire.
“The goal, the way that Mason Mount turns on this ball, faces the game and just sees it. Great touch from [Ben] Chilwell.
“It’s a good run from Havertz but the ball from Mason Mount is absolutely on the money.”
Reflecting on Chelsea FC’s first-half performance, he added: “It’s been fantastic. A chess match. When City have been in possession, there are no gaps in Chelsea FC’s midfield.
“You can’t play through it, you can’t play around it. You can play over it maybe, but they haven’t taken that opportunity, City.”
The Blues’ triumph marked their second Champions League success and secured them their first major trophy since their Europa League win back in 2019.
After the final whistle in Portugal, Ferdinand added: “Wow, what a turn of events. Thomas Tuchel has come in and put on a tactical masterclass today.
“[N’Golo] Kante put on a masterclass on how to retrieve the ball and defend and break things up and be a menace in that midfield. He controlled the game.”
Saturday was the third all-English Champions League final, Chelsea FC having been involved in the first, when they lost on penalties to Manchester United in Moscow in 2008. Two years ago, Liverpool FC beat Tottenham Hotspur in Madrid.
