Chelsea beat Newcastle United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and boss Frank Lampard admitted he was particularly impressed with the contribution of Callum Hudson-Odoi.
The 18-year-old looked dangerous attacking down the left flank and the youngster could have grabbed himself a couple of assists if his team-mates had finished better in the box.
Chelsea dominated possession but had to wait until late in the second half before they could break the deadlock, as Hudson-Odoi laid the ball off to Marcus Alonso, who rifled home a low driven shot in the 73rd minute.
And after the game Lampard took the opportunity to praise Hudson-Odoi’s attacking talents.
“I thought he was good, really good,” Lampard said.
“I agree. In terms of product on the wing and taking people on. He looked sharp, getting at people.
“A big threat. I am really pleased with that.
“The end product will come even more with Callum, another young player.
“So coming inside and getting his shots away, he was giving them a big problem so it was great to see and for the fans to see. Callum needs to carry on doing that.
However, the Blues boss also issued the youngster with a challenge to improve his defensive side of his game.
“There is the other side of the game, off the ball,” Lampard continued.
“He knows that he can get better at that, and he will do.
“There are glimpses today of some of the special stuff he has got.”
The victory at home takes Chelsea up to fourth in the table and level on points with Leicester City, who have a slightly better goal difference.
However, Arsenal, who are two points behind the Blues, can leapfrog both teams if they pick up a win in their game-in-hand against Sheffield United on Monday.
