Jordan Henderson scoring twice for Chelsea was the kind of afternoon T. Deeney was always going to notice. Troy Deeney made him the centrepiece of his Team of the Week after the midfielder scored two goals, finished one of them with a top-corner free-kick and drew praise for the confidence behind it.

Deeney's line on the BBC fit the performance. “Two goals from the old boy. Thankfully he didn't climb over any of the hoardings and hurt himself. The confidence to say to Cole Palmer 'I know you just had an eight-year contract extension, but let me just put this in the top corner', and then he scores that free-kick.”

Henderson's early numbers back up why he stood out. He has 2 Premier League goals, 1 assist and an 8.14 season rating from just 2 appearances, which is a sharp return for a midfielder who is being talked about for his end product as much as his control.

Henderson’s attacking output

Deeney also said Henderson has had a transformation from his earlier career and is not getting enough credit. That view came through again when he added: “He's going to have the season of his life with Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer playing just behind him. He's just going to score.”

That is opinion, but the current output gives it some support. Henderson is already at 2 goals and 1 assist in 180 minutes, and Chelsea are sixth in the Premier League with 10 points from 6 matches. A midfielder doing that much early on will pull attention, especially when the free-kick ends up in the top corner.

Chelsea’s start gives the praise some context

Chelsea's league return is 3 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses, so Deeney's tone around the club was not built on a perfect run. It was built on a player he thinks has added something extra in attack.

The first big clue was the free-kick itself, because it showed Henderson stepping into the game with confidence rather than simply arriving to keep the midfield ticking over. Chelsea host Arsenal next in the Premier League, and Henderson's place in Deeney's Team of the Week will be judged against another serious test.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →