Ben Chilwell completed his first 90 minutes for Crystal Palace since joining them on loan from Chelsea in the winter transfer window.
Ben Chilwell, 28, was frozen out of the Chelsea squad in the first half of the season, playing only once under Enzo Maresca. Therefore, it was fantastic to see him move to Selhurst Park on loan for the rest of the campaign.
The English left-back has been eased into action by Palace boss Oliver Glasner, but he just played his first full game for them on Saturday afternoon.
Palace secured a 3-1 home win over Championship club Millwall in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
Joe Cole approved of Chilwell’s Palace transfer, where he’s attempting to get his career back on track. The 28-year-old defender does appear to be a natural fit in Glasner’s XI in the left wing-back role.
Crystal Palace fans react to Ben Chilwell’s FA Cup performance
Palace supporters on social media had plenty of praise for Chelsea loanee Chilwell after his weekend performance in the cup against rivals Millwall.
One fan wrote: “Chilwell has been class. So fun to see our left wing-back actually getting forward.”
“Offside or not that is an outrageous attempt from Chilwell,” another said.
One supporter posted: “Chilwell and Nketiah been looking class so far.”
“Feel bad for doubting Chilwell now,” another claimed.
One fan added: “Thought Chilwell looked bright.”
According to Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, Chilwell stayed professional when he was frozen out of the playing squad this season. Thankfully, he’s now found a new temporary home where he can compete for minutes and show his all-round quality.
Impressive Ben Chilwell statistics vs Millwall
In Palace’s cup win over Millwall, they were well on top against an opposition that played with 10 men for nearly the entire game.
Chilwell was up and down the pitch with incredible energy from the wing-back position.
| Minutes played | Touches | Accurate passes | Total shots | Chances created | Tackles won | Interceptions | Dribbled past | Match rating |
| 90 | 74 | 44/50 (88%) | 1 | 2 | 2/2 (100%) | 1 | 0 | 7.3 |
Chilwell should be frustrated that he didn’t get his first Palace goal after his shot was saved in the penalty box, but it was still another positive step for him as he continues to settle into a new club.
It’ll be interesting to see if the on-loan Palace star is an outside shot for the England squad during the upcoming March international break. Apparently, England boss Thomas Tuchel spoke to Chilwell to tell him that he’s in his plans despite his struggles at Chelsea.
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