Chelsea took a huge step towards securing a domestic double in Antonio Conte’s first season in charge at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.
A 4-2 win at Wembley was enough to see off London rivals Spurs in the FA Cup semi-final, but it was by no means easy for the Blues.
Rewind to around 3:45 pm on Saturday, reports were emerging from in and around Wembley that the Blues were to be without Eden Hazard and Diego Costa for the game.
The news sparked hysteria among the Chelsea supporters when it became clear that Conte would be forced to start with Michy Batshuayi, a summer signing that has been on the peripherals of the first-team squad this season.
What played out for the rest of the afternoon was a joy to watch and it was clear to see that many fans were quick to judge the news that both Costa and Hazard would be missing.
Whilst a lot of supporters were encouraging the Belgian striker to performance and impress at Wembley, some were not so confident, expecting the striker to be short of match fitness.
Since joining in the summer, Batshuayi has taken time to adapt to the Premier League and the demands of Conte’s systems. Not only that, he has seen teammate Costa fire Chelsea towards the Premier League title with a brilliant run of form during the first half of the season.
Up until now, there have never been any grounds for an argument to drop Costa, the Spanish striker was on a ruthless goalscoring run during the first half of the season, but a dip in form of late handed Batshuayi his chances.
Twitter: Final !!
happy to help the team today, happy for us but mostly for the fans who were fantastic again
Tough gam… https://t.co/AKAlLUT2Ln (@mbatshuayi)
Prior to the semi-final, Batshuayi’s last appearance came at the start of the month when he came off the bench against Crystal Palace. His last start was way back at the end of January in the 4-0 win over Championship outfit Brentford, where he scored and grabbed an assist.
It’s always difficult to judge when playing against lower league opposition, and even between those games, Batshuayi had only been handed just a few cameo appearances, three minutes here, five minutes there.
It was evidently clear that he had been working closely with Conte on the training ground. At Wembley, his hold up play was strong. Despite Costa’s absence, Chelsea always appeared to have a focal point, Batshuayi still made himself a presence against one of, if not, the best defence in the country.
The Belgian striker played a key role in the play leading up to the foul on Pedro that won the free-kick that would that be brilliantly converted by Willian in the opening five minutes.
When you see the £33 million price tag, it’s easy to forget Batshuayi’s tender age of just 23, making him only one year older than Nathan Ake, who also started and impressed at Wembley, that should not be the case.
If you were to have one complaint from the win at Wembley, it would be that the striker was not allowed to take the penalty, as Conte ordered Willian to take it. Without knowing if the penalty taker had already been agreed on before kick-off, something most teams will do in the modern game, it’s difficult to comment, but a goal would have done the striker a world of good, especially in such a high-profile game.
Reports earlier in the season had linked the striker with a summer move away from the club, possibly on a two-year loan, but Saturday’s performance was evidence that a coach can still improve a player over time on the training ground.
Fans may not take the player seriously due to his regular social media usage but it’s clear to see that he wants to prove himself at Chelsea.
Batshuayi will have a role to play between now and the end of the season, as well as next year, with the addition of Champions League football. The Belgian international has time on his side and clearly has all the ingredients to become a success at Stamford Bridge.
