‘They were superb’ - Pundit picks out two Fulham players who caught his eye against Chelsea

Speaking on BBC’s Match of the Day, pundit Alan Shearer hailed Fulham’s midfield partnership of Harrison Reed and Joao Palhinha. The pair helped the Cottagers pick up a point on Friday night as they drew 0-0 away at Chelsea.

Most eyes were on the Blues’ big-money January additions like Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk going into the London derby at Stamford Bridge but Marco Silva’s side did a great job in nulifying their opponents once again. It has been a great season for the Whites and they have their fans dreaming of a push for Europe.

Shearer likes what he is seeing from Fulham and has said: “The two that impressed me were Harrison Reed and Palhinha. I thought they were superb. They did everything that they had to do to protect Fulham.

“Palhinha has won more tackles than anyone in the Premier League this season. They got the combination right, they got the balance right, winning the ball, tackling, getting those passes into forward positions when they did, protecting that defence when they could.”

He added: “We mentioned Brighton and we mentioned Brentford. We have to mention Fulham as well. The season that they are having is superb.”

Fulham bolstered their midfield department this winter by landing Serbia international Sasa Lukic from Torino but he will face a battle to get into the side at the moment. Reed, 28, has adapted well to the step back up to the top flight after playing a key role behind the promotion from the Championship last term.

Palhinha has been outstanding since his switch from Sporting Lisbon and Silva will be hoping he can hold on to him for as long as possible. He has made 23 appearances in all competitions in this campaign and has scored three goals.