Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s first Premier League goal reminded us of a certain former Chelsea midfielder…
The 20-year-old made the type of late run into the box which made Frank Lampard a Stamford Bridge hero to convert Cesar Azpilicueta’s cross and give the Blues a 26th-minute lead against Aston Villa.
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Loftus-Cheek got the benefit of a slight deflection as his shot squeezed past Brad Guzan at the near post, but the youngster was rewarded for showing the ambition to get forward into a scoring position.
Lampard found the back of the net in this fashion countless times on his way to becoming Chelsea’s all-time leading goalscorer, with a remarkable 208 goals in 626 appearances from the centre of the park.
There is little chance that Loftus-Cheek will even get close to this record, but this goal is an indication that he might have the game to fill the Lampard-shaped hole which Chelsea have had since 2014.
This was only the England U21 international’s fourth top-flight start. Chelsea supporters have been waiting for him to be given his opportunity in the first team, and will hope that this is just the start.
Half-time: Aston Villa 0-2 Chelsea
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