Chelsea left it late on Sunday, but Enzo Maresca’s Blues came away from the frantic contest at near neighbours Fulham victorious with a 2-1 win secured at the death.
Pedro Neto smashed home a fierce effort as the clock ticked down to the 93rd minute mark to clinch the dramatic three points, but he wasn’t the only main talking point right after the dust had settled at Craven Cottage.
Indeed, 19-year-old sensation Tyrique George was the hero who got his team back in the contest with the much-needed equaliser, with the teenage attacker now hopeful of more senior minutes to come after his chaotic cameo against Marco Silva’s hosts.
George's promising performances for Chelsea
George would only find himself on the Craven Cottage turf for a mere five minutes before crucially levelling the contest, leaving Maresca delighted on the sidelines that he threw the promising youngster into the game.
This isn’t the Camden-born attacker’s only senior goal of the season to date, however, with George also lethal against Legia Warsaw in mid-April, but the coolness to slot home a chance past Bernd Leno when the likes of Nicolas Jackson were otherwise floundering was mightily impressive all the same.
Now off the mark in the Premier League, George will surely be demanding more first-team opportunities come his way, with the flexible starlet, who can play as a winger or as a number ten, already boasting 36 goal contributions playing for the U18s and U21s.
Minutes played
75
12
Goals scored
1
1
Assists
0
0
Touches
46
4
Accurate passes
31/35
2/2
Shots
1
1
But, he isn’t the only up-and-coming talent that Maresca and Co will be holding out high hopes for, with a similarly dazzling attacker perhaps more equipped to star in the first team over George.
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The "world class talent" who could dent George
The Stamford Bridge outfit haven’t always had a glowing reputation when it comes to giving their youngsters plenty of first-team minutes, but this could soon change away from George’s emergence on the scene.
After all, current Palmeiras ace Estêvão is ready and waiting to make an impression in England when he waves his native Brazil goodbye in June, having initially signed a whopping £29m deal in May last year.
The South American prodigy might well be two years younger than his new Blues teammate, but he has terrorised defences on a regular basis for Palmeiras ever since he entered into the first-team picture, leading to Chelsea splashing the cash to land the sensational 17-year-old.
Already heralded as a “world-class talent” by talent scout Jacek Kulig and as a “future Ballon d’Or winner” by data analyst Ben Mattinson, he clearly looks ready to be thrown straight into the deep-end of the Blues first team shortly, coming potentially at George’s expense.
2025
21
6
1
2024
50
19
12
2023
4
1
0
With a hefty 26 goals scored in total for the Brazilian side at a senior level, on top of 13 assists being tallied up, Estêvão will be keen to make an impact on Maresca’s starting XI, knowing he’s ready for that next step-up in quality.
Whereas, with George only managing two goals in the Blues’ first team, on the contrary, his time to become a consistent starter might well come more down the line, with the Brazilian wonderkid also adept at filling in down either wing or as an attacking midfielder like his rawer counterpart.
GOAL.com's 10 best wonderkids in world football.
In an ideal world, both players will be able to kick on next season. But, if it was a toss-up between the two, expect Estêvão to gain more meaningful first-team chances over the Englishman.
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