It must have been a huge sigh of relief for Mason Mount as he fired a superb shot past Marc-Andre ter Stegen on Monday evening.
The 23-year-old Chelsea attacker levelled the match at 2-2 (the game ended 3-3) in a quick-fire turnaround from England against Germany at Wembley. Any England goal against their bitter rivals Germany is a big one, but this one must have felt huge for Mount.
The Cobham graduate has come under fire so far this season for his performances. Mount is yet to score a single goal or register an assist in the Premier League this season and there have been calls for him to be dropped for the XI.
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However, after replacing his Chelsea team-mate Raheem Sterling on 66 minutes, Mount managed to make something from virtually nothing against Germany. After some fine work from Arsenal's Bukayo Saka, Mount struck a ferocious shot past Ter Stegen and brought Wembley to its feet.
It was a true moment of brilliance from Mount. We all know he's capable of such moments, but we are yet to see it in a Chelsea shirt this season. Last term, Mount finished the campaign as top scorer (in all competitions) and top assister with 11 in each category.
"I don't really have to talk too much about Mason," Mount's Chelsea and England colleague Reece James told reporters after the game. "In the last three years, everyone knows how good he is and what he provides."
James is right. Mount has been exceptional over recent seasons for the Blues – and has rightly been hailed as one of the finest young talents in the Premier League. Now under a new manager in Graham Potter, Mount has to prove himself once again. It's something he's been able to do under the two previous Chelsea managers he's worked under in Frank Lampard and Thomas Tuchel.
Lampard loved Mount at Stamford Bridge. Under the former Blues boss, Mount scored nine goals and registered 10 assists in his season-and-a-half in charge.
"I am very proud of Mason Mount but it’s all down to him in many respects," Lampard said on Mount last year. "His quality, his attributes, how he applies himself in training and his work ethic is special. He’s building his own story and I am part of that in that I gave him a chance and I’m definitely proud of that."
Under Tuchel, Mount continued to impress and even surpassed the standards he set under Lampard previously. His best-ever campaign last time out in terms of goals and assists means he is almost a victim of his own success.
It has been a very slow start to the season by his usual superb standards, but under a new head coach in Potter, it almost seems like a fresh start for the Chelsea man. His 15-minute (or so) cameo against Germany is the start – he now needs to kick on and show his true ability in a Chelsea shirt. He almost needs to win the fans back over.
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