Perhaps the highlight for many of Chelsea’s dominant 4-0 win over Southampton was the emergence of a number of their young talents off the bench.
Shumaira Mhueka made his domestic debut in the final minutes, and came close to finding the net with his first touch.
Mheuka would’ve broken a Premier League record for quickest goal for a debutant if he had scored, however even in his brief cameo he showed he can be an option for Enzo Maresca in his quest to find a striker in the absence of Nicolas Jackson.
Tyrique George has had to wait patiently for his first league start for the Blues after making a handful of appearances already in the Conference League.
Tyrique George youngest Chelsea player to assist since 2019
However, he did his chances of more minutes no harm with a very impressive cameo, resulting in an assist for Marc Cucurella’s goal.
Maresca hinted more minutes are coming for George in the immediate future, and his performance against Southampton showed he can contribute at the top level.
| Tyrique George vs Southampton | Total |
| Minutes | 22 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Shots | 1 |
| Accurate passes | 12/12 |
| Dispossessed | 0 |
George’s assist saw him become one of the youngest players in Chelsea history to provide a goal for a teammate, and the youngest since 2019.
According to the Premier League website, at 19 years and 21 days, George is the youngest Blue to assist since Callum Hudson-Odoi in 2019.
Frank Lampard’s Chelsea at the time beat Newcastle 1-0 on that day, returning to the top four in a similar style to how they did against Southampton.
Callum Hudson-Odoi excelling since leaving Chelsea
After being tipped as one of the most promising prospects to come through the Chelsea academy, Hudson-Odoi went on to leave the Blues for a fee of just £4m.
The winger has already put up his two best goalscoring seasons since departing the club, and is a regular at Nottingham Forest who are threatening to disrupt the norm at the top of the table.
| Callum Hudson Odoi PL stats | Games | Goals | Assists |
| Nottingham Forest (24/25) | 22 | 4 | 2 |
| Nottingham Forest (23/24) | 29 | 8 | 1 |
| Chelsea (21/22) | 15 | 1 | 2 |
| Chelsea (20/21) | 23 | 2 | 3 |
| Chelsea (19/20) | 22 | 1 | 5 |
| Chelsea (18/19) | 10 | 0 | 1 |
| Chelsea (17/18) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
With the Blues not getting the best out of their wingers this season, there will no doubts be regret that they let Hudson-Odoi leave.
However, it can’t be said he didn’t get his chances at Stamford Bridge, and he is certainly thriving since leaving the club.
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox
