Tuchel hails Jorginho’s sacrifice, composure in dramatic win against Leeds United

In a quirky twist of footballing fate, the top three all needed penalties to secure the three points in their respective games yesterday, with Raheem Sterling converting from the spot for Manchester City, Mohamed Salah doing the same for Liverpool, and of course Jorginho doing it not just once but twice for Chelsea. That ain’t easy, even for someone as well-versed in penalties as the Vice-captain, especially while continuing to play through back pain.

Afterwards, head coach Thomas Tuchel hailed the 29-year-old not only for his cool and calm collectedness, but for his dedication and sacrifice to the cause. Of all players, he’s certainly earned the two-day break they’re being given now!

“He is super important. Jorgi has sacrificed himself for many weeks, actually [and] there has not only been a physical effort for him it’s been mentally very demanding. He had no pre-season [so] I knew there would be a point in the season he feels his body and wouldn’t be fully fit. But Jorgi is Jorgi and he is fully aware of the situation that we miss Kova and N’Golo.

“He sacrificed and gives his best every single day. He spends hours and hours with the physios and medical department to get himself in the best shape possible. It’s very nice to have this kind of attitude. It was a big reward for him today as it is not easy to score two penalties in one game.”

-Thomas Tuchel; source: Football.London

Jorginho’s penalty brace puts him joint-top of Chelsea’s goalscoring charts at 6 (all penalties, as usual), alongside Mason Mount, who opened the scoring for Chelsea yesterday (with an actual non-penalty goal).

Whatever it takes!