Chennaiyin FC managed to secure a point against Kerala Blasters FC as they drew 1-1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Friday. Rene Mihelic’s 89th-minute penalty for the home team was cancelled out by CK Vineeth’s added time equaliser, though Chennai rose to the top of the Hero Indian Super League 2017-18 table with 13 points. Shortly after the match, Chennai’s 19-year old midfielder Anirudh Thapa spoke to indiansuperleague.com and shared his views about the match. Here are the excerpts.

Your thoughts on the game?

It was a pretty good match – a thriller! Both sides played very good but we need to play till the 90th minute. It was a draw but a pretty good match.

According to you, what is your role in the team?

My teammates trust me. They gave me the ball and space. I would like to thank my teammates and coaches for their trust in me.

How do you think the team can improve?

We need to put more passes in the final-third and we need to finish early. If we get an early goal, then it’s good for our team.

Is the build-up play working for the team?

The build-up is working as you can see. The players are healthy and fit. They’re pretty strong and our flow is good. We all make the same passes and we all go forward.