‘Quality’ Chelsea star was superb against Morecambe, but he’s now at risk of earning unwanted label

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Joao Felix and Tosin Adarabioyo were the standout performers in Chelsea’s 5-0 win against Morecambe in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Joao Felix and Tosin Adarabioyo both grabbed braces to ensure that Chelsea made it to the fourth round comfortably.

The former scoring two goals against League Two opposition was not surprising, but the latter doing so from centre-back was.

Overall, Adarabioyo had a solid game. Following his two strikes against Morecambe, Chelsea fans urged Adarabioyo to shoot whenever he got on the ball.

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Tosin Adarabioyo dominant in Morecambe win

Adarabioyo deserves praise after Chelsea’s victory over Derek Adams’ side and not just because of his two goals.

Defensively, the 27-year-old was excellent, though you would expect that to be the case given the level of opposition.

Adarabioyo really utilised his height on the day, winning all four of his aerial duels, while he was not dribbled past once.

The centre-half left Fulham for Chelsea last summer, but he remains in Marco Silva’s good books. Speaking about his former player in December, Silva described him as a “quality player”.

Adarabioyo was really disappointing in Chelsea’s loss to Ipswich Town, but hopefully he can now use this game against Morecambe as a real building block.

Tosin Adarabioyo won’t want cup player tag

Adarabioyo’s best performances this season have probably come in the cup competitions.

He has struggled in the Premier League at times, such as in that game against Ipswich, where he failed to contain Liam Delap.

As a result, the former Fulham star has not been able to nail down a spot in Enzo Maresca‘s starting XI following Wesley Fofana’s injury.

In Chelsea’s last outing in the English top flight, a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace, the Chelsea manager chose 18-year-old Josh Acheampong over him.

Ultimately, Adarabioyo needs to replicate his performance against Morecambe in the Premier League. No, he does not need to score a brace every week, but the ex-Manchester City man has to be more dominant in his one-v-one duels. If not, Adarabioyo risks being condemned to the status of cup player.