Sat in the corner of the Shed End on Saturday contemplating the inevitable once Chelsea went 3-1 up, I focussed on John Pantsil.
Ever since he made his debut I`ve always had a soft spot for him, his honesty and endeavour marked him out as a cult hero from that very moment.
On Saturday, I personally believe he was our best defender. In fact I`ll let him off that small glitch when he couldn`t quite reach that cross from Drogba that Malouda buried.
Instead I`ll focus on two other events, events at opposite ends of the defenders handbook.
Both came in the second half and the first saw Pantsil produce a fantastic tackle to deny Lampard as the ex-West Ham man looked certain to score his obligatory goal against us. It really was well timed and all around him appreciated what he`d done.
The second incident was a little naughtier. Drogba tried to flick a ball down whilst in the air and our John clattered into him sending the striker onto the turf like a sack of spuds.
Drogba needed treatment for several minutes and Pantsil sneaked forward a couple of times to see how he was (an admission of guilt?) before resuming his normal defensive stance.
A hero, my hero and a real cult hero!
Share this article
