Ward praises Ajayi's strong defending in Chelsea match

Former Crystal Palace right-back, Joel Ward, has commended Super Eagles centre-back, Semi Ajayi, for his solid defending in Hull City’s 2-2 draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday. This result keeps Hull in third place in the Premier League table, according to PUNCH Sports Extra.

Chelsea started strong, with Morgan Rogers scoring in the seventh minute. But Hull turned things around with Mohamed Belloumi, who scored twice to put them ahead 2-1 at halftime.

After the break, Chelsea came back fighting. Joao Pedro equalized in the 66th minute. Xabi Alonso’s team had to settle for a point in the end.

Even though Hull conceded their first goals of the new Premier League season, Ajayi played well. He made a crucial recovery challenge to stop Malo Gusto from getting a clear shot on goal as Chelsea pushed for a late winner.

While commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live, Ward praised Ajayi for his smart play. “Ajayi read the game very well there. It was a lovely bit of play from Chelsea to create that space, but Ajayi covered the ground well and just gave Gusto a little nudge to see it through to his goalkeeper,” he said.

Ajayi has played in all four of Hull City’s matches this season. He also scored their first goal in a 2-0 win at home against Manchester United. During the Chelsea match, he hit the crossbar, and the rebound fell to Oli McBurnie, who assisted Belloumi for Hull’s second goal.

Hull City remains in third place, while Chelsea is fourth in the Premier League table. Both teams have played one match more than more than half of the teams in the league.