With Alvaro Morata out injured with a back problem and with Willian also missing through injury, Antonio Conte`s selection options were limited for the FA Cup 4th round fixture against Newcastle United.
As it turned out, the boss decided that Michy Batshuayi would lead the line, a decision that was to pay dividends.
The 24-year-old Belgian striker netted twice and was only denied a hat-trick by the fine work of Darlow in the Newcastle United goal.
Batshuayi, with the January transfer window set to close in a matter of days, has been linked with a move away from Chelsea Football Club, however, on the back of his performance against Newcastle United, we`d be surprised if that were to be the case, even more so with Chelsea struggling to bring a striker in.
After the 3-0 win against Newcastle United, Antonio Conte was asked if that was Batshuayi`s best performance for the club, with the boss quoted as having responded to the Evening Standard
‘I don`t know if it`s his best game. For sure it was very important for the team and for him.
‘We are talking about a young player, with a great potential. I showed, for me, the most important thing is the present, not the future. Otherwise I would have taken other choices.
‘We are talking about a player working with us for one year and a half. In that time he improved a lot in many tactical situations. We are talking about a powerful player, he is strong physically and has a lot of space for improvement.’
He has, but surely time is on his side, his ball control and retention may need some working on but there`s no denying he knows where the goal is.
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