Joe Cole genuinely likened makeshift Newcastle defender Lewis Miley to Paolo Maldini in his second game at the back, as Peter Crouch felt he “bullied” a Chelsea star.

With right-backs Tino Livramento, Kieran Trippier and Emil Krafth all unavailable to face the Blues, Newcastleplayed midfielder Miley there. He’d only one played there previously, scoring in the last game – the League Cup quarter-final victory over Fulham, in a great audition for the weekend.

Miley came close to getting himself on the scoresheet in the first half of the Premier League game against Chelsea, rising above the defence but nodding past the goal.

But it was his defensive skills which singled him out for big praise.

At the back end of the first half, Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho dribbled up against Miley, keeping the ball close before knocking it past him, but he found no way round the 19-year-old, who jockeyed him well.

At no point in the exchange did Miley get too tight to Garnacho, simply allowing him to dribble, before he closed in on him once the ball had gotten away, allowing the ball to run out, with the Chelsea man unable to get round his opponent.

Afterwards, Joe Cole said:? “I’m going to throw a name out here, Paolo Maldini defended like that. He looked like, player’s dribbling at him, he was the one that was in control. He knew he had Garnacho’s number there. Fantastic defending.”

It was noted on commentary that Miley looked like he had played the position his whole life, though Ally McCoist, having played against Maldini, stated the Newcastle man has “a little way to go.”

It was, though, a perfect example of the type of thing Maldini was very good at during his career, famously stating: “If I have to make a tackle, then I have already made a mistake.”

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Miley never had to make a tackle, forcing Garnacho to use up his energy before he was stronger than him at the pivotal moment.

At half time, Peter Crouch stated that Miley had “bullied” the Chelsea winger.

Later in the game, with Garnacho going at Miley in the box, the Newcastle man poked the ball away from him and reached the second ball first to clear

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