Mateus Fernandes’ individual numbers show exactly why the 22-year-old is the perfect number six for Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham Hotspur.Due to a combination of injury issues and other factors, De Zerbi has resisted playing Fernandes in his preferred deeper midfield role until the game at Stamford Bridge.One can argue that the Italian was forced to start the Portuguese star in the middle of the park alongside Sandro Tonali in West London due to Rodrigo Bentancur’s suspension and Lucas Bergvall’s injury.The former West Ham man delivered a masterclass alongside Tonali, showing exactly why Spurs paid £85m for him in the summer. Speaking after his side’s 2-0 win against the Blues, De Zerbi admitted that Fernandes was the best player on the pitch.Mateus FernandesTottenham – Premier League (2026 – 2027)Appearances8Minutes Played376Average Rating6.72Goals0Assists0Passes306Key Passes7Pass Accuracy (%)93.00Yellow Cards2Red Cards0Stats correct as of 29 October 2026.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / InstagramOnly one Premier League midfielder is better in passing under pressure than Tottenham’s Mateus FernandesWhat set the 22-year-old apart was his comfort in receiving the ball under pressure from the Tottenham backline and still managing to find the right pass.That is clearly one of Fernandes’ biggest strengths, and according to Gradient Sports, he is one of the best across the Premier League in that skill. The outlet reveals that the Portuguese star has the second-best pass completion percentage across the division when he is under pressure.Fernandes completes 92.1 per cent of his passes when under pressure, with the number only bettered by Man City’s Ayoub Bouaddi, who completes 93.3 per cent.Tottenham have missed this kind of press resistance since the days of Mousa Dembele and Luka Modric – and teams arguably press even higher these days in the Premier League.PlayerPass completion % under pressureAyyoub Bouaddi93.3%Mateus Fernandes92.1%Declan Rice91.4%Sander Berge91.3%Noni Madueke90.8%Kobbie Mainoo90.5%Noussair Mazraoui90.5%Mohammed Kudus90.5%Antoine Semenyo90.5%Shea Charles90.3%Ayyoub Bouaddi has completed 93.3% of his passes whilst under pressure in the Premier League this season.It’s the best rate among any player to complete 60+ passes under pressure.#MCFC https://t.co/qGUbu6QHnN— Gradient Sports (@Gradient_Sports) October 28, 2026The numbers behind Fernandes’ midfield masterclass against ChelseaThe Opta Analyst have revealed that the Tottenham summer signing completed 21 of his passes under pressure at Stamford Bridge, which is the highest any player has had in a single game this term.Fernandes had 124 touches of the ball, which is more than any player has had away from home this season. The midfielder also led the game for tackles, making five successful ones in West London.The 22-year-old also played 27 line-breaking passes, which is the 12th most by anyone in a single Premier League game so far this term.Touches: 121 (most in the match)Accurate passes: 91/99 (most in the match)Successful open play passes: 87 (most in the match)Passes in opposition half: 43 (most in the match)Successful final third passes: 13 (most in the match)Line-breaking passes: 19 (most in the match)Penalty area entries: 6 (most in the match)Accurate crosses: 2 (most in the match)Chances created: 2 (joint-most in the match)xG + xA: 0.18Tackles: 5 (most in the match)Defensive contributions: 14Duels won: 6Possession won: 6Distance covered: 11.0 kmTop speed: 28.4 km/hREAD MORE: Tottenham shoot up Opta power rankings after Chelsea win, above Man UnitedThe post Passing under pressure stat shows Tottenham have found their new Mousa Dembele appeared first on Spurs Web.