UCL

Lineker hails 'ridiculously good' Thiago Silva after Chelsea set European record ahead of Liverpool

Damola Ogungbe 07:27 - 23 February 2022

Thiago Silva (IMAGO/PA Images)

Thiago Silva is assured of another year at Stamford Bridge after signing a one-year extension till June 2023

Former England international Gary Lineker has praised the performance of Chelsea defender Thiago Silva in the Blues' Champions League win over Lille on Tuesday night.

Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic got on the scoresheet as Chelsea recorded a 2-0 win in the first leg of their Round-of-16 fixture with the Ligue 1 side at Stamford Bridge.

Christian Pulisic made it 2-0 for Chelsea in the second half against Lille on Tuesday night

The clean sheet means Chelsea became the first English team to not concede a goal in five consecutive home matches in the Champions League.

Lineker believes Silva is cheating time

Lineker believes that Silva is defying the concept of ageing after the Brazilian centre-back played a crucial role in the Blues' defensive shutout on Tuesday night.

In a couple of tweets on his personal Twitter account, Lineker said: "How good is Thiago Silva? I’ll answer that myself: ridiculously good.

"A wonderful defender who’s defying Father Time.”

Thiago Silva captained Thomas Tuchel's PSG in last season's Champions League final

Thiago Silva captained Thomas Tuchel's PSG in the 2020 Champions League final before winning it with him at Chelsea in 2021

The 37-year-old defender has been in imperious form for Chelsea this season, playing in all but four league matches despite an increasing case of minor injuries.

Silva joined Chelsea on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2020 and the centre-back has excelled especially after reuniting with his PSG manager Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea.