Why Tyrique George was applauded by Axel Disasi as Chelsea youngster joins forces with teammate

Chelsea supporters were given a glimpse of the future on Thursday evening as Enzo Maresca's side defeated FC Noah 8-0 in the UEFA Europa Conference League. A competition that allows the Italian to completely rotate his starting XI and keep his first-choice team fit for their Premier League fixtures, Maresca handed Tyrique George his first senior start for the Blues.

Supporters have already seen the 18-year-old get game time under the Italian this term, with the winger coming off the bench in three European fixtures prior to the Noah encounter and also in the huge win over Barrow in the Carabao Cup. However, a first Chelsea start for George was what all supporters wanted.

Due to the sheer size of the Chelsea squad, the academy ace's best chance of minutes is going to come in cup competition. George has yet to make a Premier League squad this term and the only way he will force his way into Maresca's thinking for the league is by taking his chance whenever pitch time comes his way.

Starting on the right of an attacking quartet behind striker Marc Guiu, George was called upon inside the first two minutes to help his side defensively. Noah had mounted an attack after capitalising on some poor defensive play from Chelsea and it resulted in Goncalo Gregorio forcing Filip Jorgensen into a save as he let fly with a thunderous strike.

The goalkeeper couldn't keep hold of the ball and that's when George nipped in to clear on the edge of his own box when the Noah attacker looked to score on the rebound. The Chelsea winger was heavily involved in the opening minutes of the contest and he almost had his first assist in the senior team to his name but Joao Felix somehow missed from point-blank range.

The chance all came after some excellent movement from George down the right saw Christopher Nkunku play him in inside the box. The starlet crossed the ball right into the path of the Portugal international but he couldn't apply the finishing touch with his left foot.

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At a time when Chelsea were running riot, what was notable was that George and Nkunku continued to link up extremely well down the right side. George also put in the work going back to ensure that Axel Disasi had sufficient cover when required.

Very much an exciting winger with bags of quality on the ball, the England Under-19s international showed just what he can do when going forward with two excellent runs midway inside the first half. His first didn't amount to anything as he skewed a shot wide after gliding towards the box and coming inside but his next run almost coincided with Maresca's side making it 5-0.

Guiu got on the end of his teammate's low cross and his cute flick almost crept in at the back post, with Mykhailo Mudryk unable to convert from the tightest of angles at the back stick. George continued to be involved down Chelsea's right after the break and instantly won a corner after a direct run towards the FC Noah box.

However, he maybe didn't see as much of the ball as he wanted immediately after the break with a lot of the team's play going directly through the middle as they looked to add to their six goals. There was one moment just prior to the hour mark that saw George applauded by Disasi following an excellent piece of play inside the Chelsea half.

Following a long diagonal ball from Noah's right looking to pick out Hovhannes Hambardzumyan, the academy ace impeccably plucked the ball out of the sky to take control of it and stop the Noah man gaining possession. He then used his strength to hold of his opponent and come inside with the ball to pass to Tosin Adarabioyo.

Chelsea fans could be heard clapping George for his piece of play and Disasi was seen putting his hands above his head and applauding his young teammate. George's time on the pitch was to come to an end on 68 minutes as Carney Chukwuemeka replaced him for the closing minutes.

The player was given plenty of applause from the home faithful for his contribution in what was an impressive show on his full senior debut. Used in all three of Chelsea's Europa Conference League fixtures so far, the exciting youngster has certainly put himself in a good position to feature again when the team travel to Heidenheim later this month for their next European encounter.

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