Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has admitted to teasing Callum Hudson-Odoi after his Premier League debut against Brighton last night.
The 18-year-old teed up Olivier Giroud for his opening goal in the first-half and looked lively down the right for the hosts. He pulled off an embarrassing air-shot with the goal gaping that would have made Chelsea’s 1-0 half-time lead more emphatic.
A smiling Sarri said of Hudson-Odoi’s fluffed effort: “I told him that he missed a very easy goal.
“He has to stay with his feet on the floor. He’s a good boy.
“He can risk thinking that he is a player at 100 per cent, but it’s impossible to be at the top when you are 18.
“He can improve, and I want him to improve. In the future, he, Ruben and Andreas [Christensen] can become top players. ‘The future could be good.”
Eden Hazard and Loftus-Cheek fired eye-catching second-half goals as Chelsea stepped up to fifth in the table, one point off Tottenham in third.