Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has launched an impassioned defence of his Blues teammate Eden Hazard after the Belgium international was severely criticised by his own fans for an uninspiring performance in their 2-1 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The result saw the Blues knocked out of the competition at the last-16 stage and means there will be no Champions League football at Stamford Bridge next season for the first time in the Roman Abramovich era.
Hazard attracted the ire of Chelsea fans after swapping shirts with PSG attacker Angel Di Maria at half-time, and while the 25-year-old has struggled for form throughout the season, Ivanovic has no doubt that his team-mate's heart remains in west London.
“It’s not an excuse, but people have to think about the fact he started the game injured,” Ivanovic said in the Evening Standard.
“Did that show how committed he is? Yes. Of course when you lose a game the fans are not happy and they have to be like that. “But in my opinion it was one of his best performances so far. He was very strong and quick. He wanted to score and had a couple of moments where he looked [in the form of] last season.”
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