Charly Musonda admits he cried when he scored first Chelsea goal in Carabao Cup win over Nottingham Forest
CHARLY MUSONDA revealed he fought back tears after scoring to cap a dream night for Chelsea.
The blossoming Belgium forward was given his first start by boss Antonio Conte as a wave of youth got their chance in the Carabao Cup demolition of Nottingham Forest.
Musonda, 20, hit the second in the 5-1 win over Forest then choked on the emotion while embarking on a celebration run which ended with a full length swan dive on the pitch.
He said: “It was an emotional moment I can’t even remember it. My first goal at Stamford Bridge so it was very special.
“I would have been in tears to be honest if the lads hadn’t come and got me. It was so exciting.”
Musonda was joined by fellow Academy graduates Dujon Sterling and Ethan Ampadu for the match as Chelsea look to shake off their tag of snubbing their home grown kids in favour of ready-made, expensive superstars.
Musonda said: “I was looking forward to it. I came from the Academy and it was a great experience for me to be able to play in my first game with the first team at Stamford Bridge. I have to keep on working.
“It’s great to see the young players coming through and the manager giving them confidence. They did well.
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“To be honest I was more nervous before the game. I had to wait so long for it to start.
“When the game started I felt really good.”
Musonda has vowed to wow the fans with his skills and trickery while knuckling down to impress demanding boss Conte.
He said: “That’s my game. I try to express myself when I have the ball. It’s just the way I am.
“The fans were great. I needed that lift.”
Musonda has been tipped to make a major impact at Stamford Bridge ever since he joined the club from Anderlecht five years ago.
He was tied down to his first professional contract as soon as he turned 17 as the Blues made sure they kept hold of the promising attacking midfielder despite interest from across Europe.
And he was a major influence in the side who won the Uefa youth league in 2015 plus back to back FA Youth Cup wins in 2014 and 2015.
Musonda was then sent out on loan to Real Betis for the second half of the 2015-16 season and made such an impact the Spanish club took him back for the entire 2016-17 campaign.
But Chelsea boss Conte had such good reports on the youngster he recalled him from Spain in January to work closely with the first team squad.
And he made his first team debut as a substitute in the Community Shield against Arsenal, before getting his first Premier League action off the bench on the opening day against Burnley.
Now Conte is looking at ways to begin bringing the youngster into his first team plans on a more regular basis.
He said: "Charly played very well. He is working a lot to improve his physicality and we are working with him to be ready."
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