Chelsea attacker Tyrique George snatches an all-important equaliser at Lincoln City - and it feels like he is grabbing an unlikely lifeline at his boyhood club.
Tyrique George looked set to be on his way out of Chelsea in the summer, with a £22m move to Fulham only falling through late on deadline day.
Handed a first-team lifeline, the 19-year-old took it with a starring role as the Blues battled back to avoid a Carabao Cup upset at Lincoln City.
The League One side deservedly led at half-time through Rob Street's effort, but George hit a fine half-volley to level in the 48th minute, before setting up Facundo Buonanotte to slide in the winner two minutes later.
It was a vital contribution from the academy graduate as he fights for his future at his boyhood club.
Playing out of position as a lone striker rather than on the wing, George stepped up, having struggled like the rest of his team-mates under the aggressive approach from Lincoln.
Following back-to-back defeats against Bayern Munich in the Champions League and then Manchester United in the Premier League, a humiliating loss at Sincil Bank would undoubtedly have raised questions about Enzo Maresca's ability to oversee the next stage in Chelsea's development.
The Italian admitted he "absolutely" fired up his players in the half-time interval to spark their comeback.
"We knew that it was a very tricky game because they are the most direct team in League One, so crosses, free-kicks, throw-ins into the box, you have to defend those," said Maresca.
"I know some of them didn't play these kind of games. We struggled a little bit in the first half, but second half we were much better.
"I told them it was not an easy game. That is why I was so annoyed in the first half, because we know that we needed to do better."
Making most of second chance
As Chelsea strengthened their squad with a string of attacking signings in the summer, George was deemed surplus to requirements.
Having held talks with RB Leipzig earlier in the window, he looked to be heading to Fulham until the Cottagers opted to sign wingers Kevin and Samuel Chukwueze instead, and Harry Wilson's own move to Leeds collapsed.
Yet, that could be a blessing in disguise as George made his first start and fourth appearance of the season - again acting as deputy to only fit striker Joao Pedro.
Maresca has picked the teenager at the expense of a natural striker Marc Guiu in the Premier League, despite the Spaniard's recall from a loan spell at Sunderland on deadline day to replace the injured Liam Delap, while Nicolas Jackson left for Bayern Munich.
Guiu didn't make the bench in Tuesday's third-round tie despite being eligible to play due to a recent change in EFL rules regarding cup-tied players.
Maresca, though, said he didn't want to risk playing Guiu because he "felt something" in training on Monday.
But George showed what he could do with a clinical finish and poise to set up Buonanotte, who also joined on deadline day on loan from Brighton.
Having been handed a second chance, more displays like this will provide Maresca with a welcome option in attack.
How George broke through Chelsea's £1bn squad
Chelsea academy graduates usually have a couple of well-trodden pathways - breakthrough, loan, first team. Or breakthrough, loan, sale.
The Blues have moved on more than 40 homegrown players in the past decade, and made £315m from selling academy-developed talent in the last four seasons alone - £100m more than Manchester City.
But their latest high-profile prospect George has bucked that trend so far and can look at how Levi Colwill, Trevoh Chalobah and Reece James have progressed to first-team success.
George's strike against Fulham on 20 April, aged 19 years and 75 days, saw him become the club's youngest scorer in the Premier League since Callum Hudson-Odoi netted against Burnley in January 2020.
The winger's breakthrough season included Carabao Cup games against Barrow and Morecambe, substitute league appearances against Arsenal and Brighton, and more than 750 minutes in 12 Conference League games, including a goal in the quarter-final first-leg win at Legia Warsaw.
George, who turned 19 in February, is disrupting the 'Chelsea' narrative thanks to a level of dedication unusual even in this era of youth development.
The last Chelsea player to come through the youth system into the first team without a loan was one of his idols, Hudson-Odoi in January 2018.
A source told BBC Sport that in his early years at Chelsea, George was a 'middling' player in his age group until around the age of 10.
It was at that point his dad hired a goalkeeper as well as a personal coach, David 'Guru' Sobers, to raise his game.
In midweek, George would train with Chelsea, and then from the age of 13 on Fridays, he would play against men in nine-a-side matches at either Vauxhall or Nine Elms Power League in South London.
On Saturdays, he would train again and go through post-match analysis with Sobers from his Power League matches the previous evening, before going back to Chelsea on Sunday to play.
"I used to spend hours travelling on public transport to do two-hour sessions, or longer, with Tyrique as I thought I could help him," Sobers told BBC Sport.
"We would spend hours doing one-versus-one, technical work, shooting drills, and I enjoyed the fact that he would push himself so much.
"I'd be a 'bad' referee when he played against 18-year-olds, so he would get kicked - but have to get up and win the ball back.
"We did tactics on his Friday session during these matches. I think it helped our young players, we also had guys now at Manchester City, West Ham and Reading, become fearless, especially when coming back to their own age group."
Category: General Sports
