Ruben Loftus-Cheek makes it through his return to the Chelsea team unscathed and shows there is so much more to come, looking lively in his first Premier League match in over a year following horrific Achilles injury
- Ruben Loftus-Cheek was in the Chelsea team for the first time in over a year
- He suffered an awful Achilles tendon injury during a match back in May 2019
- Loftus-Cheek was one of their most involved players before getting substituted
Villa Park will always be a significant ground for Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
In April 2016 it was the scene of his first Chelsea league goal. On Sunday it was where he made his long-awaited comeback.
The England midfielder returned to Chelsea's starting line-up for the first time this season against Aston Villa over a year after rupturing his Achilles and having impressed in the Blues Project Restart preparations, including a two-goal display in the warm-up friendly against QPR.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek made his return to the Chelsea line-up after injury against Aston Villa
Loftus-Cheek has been out of action for over a year after picking up an awful injury in 2019
Loftus-Cheek was as good as ready before football's shutdown though the additional three months would have done him no harm in his bid to regain full fitness.
While he has been out Chelsea got themselves into a position to secure a top four spot though Champions League football might well have been in the bag had they not been undermined by a repeated failing.
Chelsea's repeated issues when it came to breaking down defensive sides this season left Lampard admitting he felt like a broken record whenever he bemoaned the problem pre-lockdown.
Exciting signings Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner will give Chelsea more cutting edge but not until next year. The hope is Loftus-Cheek can get back up to full speed and help more immediately.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek injured his Achilles tendon in a post-season friendly in May 2019
On his return the talented 24-year-old got a close-up look at the sort of troubles Chelsea have been facing as Villa sat deep and the Blues toiled despite dominating.
It wasn't until a double change from Lampard in the 55th minute that the game turned in Chelsea's favour.
Loftus-Cheek was one of the players to make way and the man who replaced him, a more natural wide player Christian Pulisic, opened the scoring.
Though Chelsea's difficulties before that and how the game turned around were not a total reflection of his comeback contribution.
Firstly, it would have been unrealistic to expect Loftus-Cheek to hit the ground running after so long out.
Aston Villa took the lead in the match just before half time with a finish from Kortney Hause
And that Chelsea struggled to find a breakthrough was not for a want of trying on Loftus-Cheek's part.
He was one of Chelsea's most involved players as they probed in the first half, his determination to get on the ball understandable having not played for so long.
Loftus-Cheek started in a left-sided attacking role though repeatedly drifted into the central areas that are more natural to him to provide support for Olivier Giroud. Twice he went close, at the start and end of the first half.
Lampard deemed just under an hour enough for Loftus-Cheek and then watched Pulisic level almost straight away as the options he has at his disposal, even before Ziyech and Werner join, were underlined.
Pulisic's impact would have pleased Lampard and so too, after so long on the sidelines, will seeing Loftus-Cheek come through his return unscathed.
Christian Pulisic levelled the scores and Olivier Giroud put Chelsea ahead very soon after
'I'm delighted for Ruben to be back in the fold,' Lampard said. 'He has got in the team on his own merit because of the way he has worked for a long time now but in the last three, four weeks since he has been back training he has looked good, looked strong.
'We have to give him a bit of time to adapt but I felt it was a good game for him to bring his physicality and something different and again the flip of having Christian to bring on was great for me. I'm delighted for Ruben.
'He is going to get a lot better. It is a long time since he has played but he has so much to give us as a team and a squad. Glimpses of it today. There is much more to come.'
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June 22, 2020 at 02:23AM
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Ruben Loftus-Cheek looks lively on his return to Premier League action - Daily Mail
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