Charly Musonda admitted he cried tears of joy after scoring his first goal for Chelsea in their Carabao Cup win over Nottingham Forest.
The goal was Chelsea’s third of five on the night – capped an exciting display by the 20-year-old Musonda on his full debut for the Blues.
‘It was an emotional moment, I can’t even remember it,’ said Musonda after the 5-1 win at Stamford Bridge.
‘I was in tears, to be honest. If the lads didn’t come and get me I don’t know what would have happened.
‘The fans were great today. They gave me a big lift tonight and they were amazing.’
Coach Antonio Conte placed his faith in youth on Wednesday night and they delivered handsomely.
An emotional Musonda is congratulated by his Chelsea team-mates after scoring
Image: Getty
Charly, Kenedy , and Andreas Christensen were among the younger players in the starting line-up, while 17-year-old Ethan Ampadu and 19-year-old Jake Clarke-Salter came off the bench.
Kenedy opened the scoring, while Michy Batshuayi scored a hat-trick to remind every-one of his abilities.
Brussels-born Musonda joined Chelsea from Anderlecht in June 2012 and signed his first professional contract just over a year later.
He starred for Chelsea’s youth side as they won back-to-back FA Youth Cups in 2014 and 2015, plus the continental UEFA Youth League in 2015.
Musonda spent the second half of the 2015-16 campaign on loan at Spanish club Real Betis and this was extended for their 2016-17 season.
He was recalled by Conte back in January and this season has made his first-team debut from the bench in the Community Shield with Arsenal, his Premier League debut against Burnley and now his full debut against Forest.
Conte suggested he would receive further opportunities: ‘Charly played very well. He is working a lot to improve his physicality and we are working with him to be ready.’
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