Southampton may have lost, but the fans were full of praise for the 22-year-old defender.
With Premier League survival in some doubt, Southampton fans would have been forgiven for shuddering somewhat when Mark Hughes decided to hand Jan Bednarek his Premier League debut when Chelsea travelled to St Mary’s on Saturday.
The £5 million signing – fee reported by BBC Sport – had made one appearance in both the League Cup and FA Cup this season, but was yet to feature in the top flight, and yet Hughes decided to start him against the Blues.
It appeared for 70 minutes that the decision was going to be an inspired one. Not only did the Poland international help the Saints keep the visitors at bay, but he also showed the lethal touch in front of goal that not many of his teammates have managed to produce this term.
His goal was a superb finish at the back post that seemingly put Southampton out of sight as the game went into final 20 minutes with the home side leading 2-0. However, Chelsea had other ideas.
Antonio Conte’s men – enjoying their penultimate day as the champions of England – scored three times in eight minutes to bag a 3-2 win that now leaves the Saints in a desperate situation with only a handful of games remaining.
It may have been another sickening afternoon for the supporters who watched their side lose 3-2 to Arsenal last weekend, but Bednarek’s display attracted a lot of praise from the fans – though many believe that he will be playing regularly in the Championship next term.
Here is the best of the reaction to Bednarek’s display…
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
