Reece James sends message to Tyrique George and fans after major Chelsea development
Reece James has sent a message of support to Tyrique George after the youngster reached a huge milestone for Chelsea in their 3-0 win over Legia Warsaw.
The 19-year-old winger broke the deadlock in the tie with his first senior goal following a frustrating first-half for Chelsea, which saw them fail to convert their possession and territory into scoring.
Just four minutes after the break, Blues’ captain James took matters into his own hands, forcing a save from Kacper Tobiasz in the Warsaw net.
However, the shot stopper was only able to parry the ball back into the penalty area, with George the first to react and side-foot home.
Two second-half strikes from Noni Madueke completed a convincing victory for Enzo Maresca‘s side while giving Chelsea one-foot in the semi-finals of the UEFA Conference League.
Chelsea’s captain sends message to George after victory
In an Instagram story posted on Thursday (10 April), James shared an image of George celebrating his goal which put Chelsea ahead with the caption: “happy for u lil bro” followed by “thanks to the travelling fans” alongside a blue love heart emoji.
Chelsea favourites to win UEFA Conference League
Football Insider Verdict
Chelsea can become the first side ever to win all four major European trophies if they are to lift the Conference League come May.
The West London club will undoubtedly want to be playing in the Champions League next year and are on track to do so via a top four finish.
However, the opportunity to write their names into history and collect silverware in Maresca’s first season in charge will certainly be the objective for now, even if their presence in the competition isn’t what the Blues would probably choose.
The 45-year-old coach will be pleased to have another attacking option at his disposal in George, with the likes of Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku, Jadon Sancho all struggling for form recently and Nicolas Jackson only returning to action following two months out.
George’s finish was an instinctive one, but it was the movement from the winger which would have impressed his manager most.
Some young forwards would not have shown the same level of awareness and perhaps failed to stay onside with the ball falling to James on the edge of the area.
However, George stayed switched on and got his reward through his first senior goal for the club which he joined at the age of eight.