Gutsy Jorginho shows why he's on the shortlist for Ballon d'Or

Midfielder goes from zero to penalty hero

- James Robson at Stamford Bridge

WITH nerves of steel, Jorginho stepped up, sent David de Gea the wrong way and Stamford Bridge into raptures.

Was there ever any doubt? Actually, yes. The midfielder’s crucial

penalty miss in Italy’s World Cup qualifier against Switzerland this month contributed to the European champions now facing the uncertainty of the play-offs to reach Qatar next year.

That is not the point. The point is that Jorginho — on the back of that very recent setback and a horror moment that gifted Manchester United the lead yesterday — had the strength of character to seize the ball when Aaron Wan-Bissaka went through the back of Thiago Silva.

There was the customary check in his stride and enough disguise in his run up to fool De Gea. Then, with perfect technique, he swept the ball into the opposite corner. The 19 minutes it took him to go from zero to hero was a microcosm of the qualities that dragged him from the fringes at Chelsea this time last year, to one of the favourites to win the Ballon d’Or tonight.

His self-belief is as consistent as his metronomic use of the ball. No matter the chaos around him, Jorginho is one of football’s constants.

Which is why the sight of him horribly mis-controlling Bruno Fernandes’s most agricultural of punts upfield five minutes into the second half came as such a surprise.