Kenny Tete produced a defensive masterclass to help Fulham earn a 0-0 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
The son of European heavyweight kickboxing champion Miguel Tete, he channelled intensity and aggressiveness to see off £165million worth of talent in Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke.
Tete kept Mudryk quiet in the first half before the £88.5m signing was substituted at the break. The Ukraine international was struggling with a cold but he failed to have a single shot, create any chances or complete a single dribble on his home debut.
Madueke was brought on in his place and the £29m new signing was next to get little joy out against Tete. The Netherlands right-back was equal to the task, cutting out a well-measured Reece James cross to Madueke.
After the match, the official Chelsea Twitter account posted a picture of James and asked fans to “reply with a better RB”.
Fulham’s account then responded with a tweet of Tete holding the man of the match trophy. He won 10 duels, made seven crosses and won four fouls — more than any other player in each category.
A returning £50m Sterling also left the pitch having made little impact as Fulham earned a point that kept them above Chelsea in the Premier League table.
“Kenny Tete baby” sang Fulham fans at the end of the match as he threw his shirt towards a jubilant away end. Watching on was new loan signing Cedric Soares, who faces a difficult task to dislodge the Fulham no2.
Tete has already seen off competition from summer signing Kevin Mbabu and is ready to do so again. The defender symbolises the spirit Marco Silva wants from his players on the pitch, while he is also a perfect advert for the smart business Fulham are doing off it.
