Josh Acheampong’s Promising Premier League Debut and Levi Colwill’s Rising Leadership Shine in Chelsea’s Draw Against Crystal Palace
Premier League Museum Admin 
Enzo Maresca
Josh Acheampong, an 18-year-old player, made a surprising debut in the Premier League for Chelsea in a match against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. Acheampong, who had previously been seen playing as a right-back, was included in the line-up due to injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile. He started the game alongside Levi Colwill.
Josh Acheampong said “It was a really enjoyable game and my first Premier League start.”
Cole Palmer gave Chelsea an early lead in the game. For most of the match, it seemed that the efforts of Acheampong and Colwill would secure a clean sheet for Chelsea. However, Jean-Philippe Mateta equalized the score with less than 10 minutes of normal time remaining.
Josh Acheampong said “That’s one of the things I like to do when I play. I like to be on the ball and especially as I got more and more into the game and more confident, it helped to be on the ball more. I don’t really think about my opponent, I just try to think about my own game. I block out the crowd and having played in big stadiums before, that helped me.”
After the game, Acheampong’s teammates recognized his efforts and serenaded him. As the Chelsea players moved towards the away section of the stadium to acknowledge the supporters, Colwill pushed Acheampong towards the fans to let him have his moment.
Josh Acheampong said “It felt like a big step up physically. But you get used to it training with my teammates. Levi helped me during, before, and after the game – even telling me to clap the fans. It is great to have him around.”
Maresca, speaking at Cobham last Friday, praised Levi’s leadership skills.
Enzo Maresca said “I can see the leader day by day, since we started in pre-season, something that he can improve in terms of leadership, he is improving a lot. Levi, even if he is not wearing the armband, he is one of the captains and in the future, he could be a captain of this club. Since we started, he is improving a lot.”
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