Chelsea fans have found a new cult hero in Danish defender, Andreas Christensen.

The academy star - who forged his reputation out on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach last season - has emerged as Antonio Conte's most important defender, excelling at every aspect that made the Blues' backline so imperious last season.

He's good on the ball, tough in the tackle and disciplined, three components that made Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill and David Luiz so impressive in 2016/17.

He was included from the start once again in the 3-1 win over Huddersfield, alongside Azpilicueta and Antonio Rudiger.

Once again, Christensen was the talk of the town despite the Blues conceding with the last touch of the game courtesy of Laurent Depoitre.

And there was one moment where the Dane left Chelsea fans feeling incredibly happy that an academy product is getting a prolonged run in the team.

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That is so, so impressive. Shades of Barcelona at their very best.

In the modern game, bringing the ball out from the back with such grace and brilliance has often proved crucial. Just look at all of Pep Guardiola's teams.

Chelsea fans on Twitter were certainly purring over Christensen's stellar display.

CHELSEA FANS REACT

And one supporter pointed out something very interesting, as Christensen was taken off late in the day along with Eden Hazard and N'Golo Kante, a sign of how highly Conte rates him these days.

STEVEN GERRARD ON CHRISTENSEN

“He’s going to be there for the next 10 or 15 years,” Gerrard said on BT Sport.

“What the manager has done is obviously known he’s been on loan for two years.

“He got player of the year in Germany, which is an excellent achievement for a player so young.

“Conte was probably looking at players in pre-season and he has stood out.

“He was given his chance and he’s taken it.”

The Liverpool legend finished off with a very apt quote, highlighting just how good he has been this season.

“To impress an Italian manager, as a defender at 21 years of age, and stay in this Chelsea team… you’ve got to give the kid an awful lot of credit,” he said.

The kid has got a huge, huge future ahead of him.