Thomas Frank 'proud' of Christian Eriksen since returning from a cardiac arrest
- Planet Sport writer
- 3 April 2022
Christian Eriksen inspired Brentford to a famous 4-1 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Thomas Frank has hailed his fellow Dane after a sensational return to football's elite.
Eriksen - who scored for Denmark during the international break - continued his scoring form by notching up his first goal for Brentford against Chelsea.
The Bees went on to deliver a humbling defeat to Chelsea, scoring four goals and in doing so, all but confirmed their Premier League status for next season.
The 30-year-old, who said he 'died for five minutes' on the pitch at Euro 2020, has completed the fairy-tale return and is playing in Europe's biggest league as well as on the international stage thanks to an Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator (ICD).
That cardiac technology has afforded Eriksen a return to his playmaking pomp, and Bees boss Frank could not hide his pride.
"Honestly, I hope you all know 90 per cent of the time I speak I do my very best to speak the truth.
"From the beginning, I thought, 'okay everything's been checked in his entire body'.
"He didn't have an injury like an ACL, so I was actually not in doubt on him.
"Because his foundations physically were quite good.
"I never knew how quick it would be to get to this level, but it's impressive and we're just pleased and so proud.
"You can always give it to Christian and he will find a solution. It was an important goal from him, that maybe finished off the match for us.
"He might not have a big, outward personality like Ivan (Toney), but he's a big presence on the ball and with the way he presents himself overall."
Toni Rudiger's long-range goal had given Chelsea the lead, only for Thomas Tuchel's men to endure their heaviest defeat of the season.
Vitaly Janelt bagged a brace, while Eriksen and Yoane Wissa were also on target in what was a famous win.
The Blues welcome Real Madrid to Stamford Bridge in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday but Tuchel insisted he picked his best team possible against Brentford.
"We selected the team because we thought it was the best team against Brentford," said Tuchel.
"There was not half an eye or one per cent on Real Madrid. This was our fault and we have to analyse it quickly."
