Chelsea academy graduates, Josh Acheampong, 18, and Samuel Rak-Sakyi, 19, and Tyrique George were handed first time senior debuts by Enzo Maresca as a European encounter like no other turned into an evening of firsts in Kazakhstan against Astana.
First time in the club’s long history that they named four teenage starters in a major European match, with 18-year-old Marc Guiu amongst the scorers as Chelsea maintained their perfect Conference League record.
The youngsters did their club proud, winning to make sure Chelsea will make it into the Conference League’s round of 16 with a game to spare against Shamrock Rovers. That match at Stamford Bridge is bound to be used to showcase these starlets further.
