There were a few feel-good stories from the first matchweek of the new Premier League season last weekend – Brentford winning their first top-flight game in 74 years by overcoming a poor Arsenal side 2-0, a Harry Kane-less Tottenham Hotspur punishing defending champions Manchester City through a solitary Son Heung-min strike, and Chelsea’s young defender Trevoh Chalobah marking his Premier League debut with a wonder-goal that left him in tears.
Having been at Chelsea since he was 8 years old, Trevoh always found himself within the periphery of the Blues’ playing squad. Growing up through the ranks alongside his older brother Nathaniel, Trevoh watched on as his brother broke through the first team, making a few appearances here and there, before he was sold to Watford in 2017.
Biding his time patiently as he developed himself as a player, Trevoh received his big break only last mid-week, being named by head coach Thomas Tuchel in his UEFA Super Cup-winning starting lineup ahead of more established names in Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen. And Trevoh did not disappoint in his baptism of fire – lasting the whole 120 minutes of the match while drawing praises for his brave performance in the Chelsea defense.
Another big moment for Trevoh came last weekend after he was named in the starting lineup for Chelsea’s first Prem match of the season, a London Derby at home against Crystal Palace. Once again starting in a back three, Trevoh found himself playing alongside Antonio Rudiger and Christensen, as both Silva and Kurt Zouma were named on the bench.
And like his performance in the Super Cup, Trevoh did not disappoint at all in his first ever Premier League match.
With Marcos Alonso and Christian Pulisic having pulled Chelsea into a 2-0 lead coming into the second half, Trevoh had done an excellent job in protecting Edouard Mendy’s goal so far, before in the 58th minute, the 22-year old defender surges forward and blasts home a shot from 25 yards out that Vicente Guaita in the Crystal Palace goal was powerless to save.
“When I scored, I didn’t know what to do. I dropped to my knees. I was crying,” said Trevoh, reminiscing the moment he scored his first ever Premier League goal to BBC Sport, “I couldn’t believe when the ball went in. I didn’t know it went in until the crowd cheered. It was a surreal moment.”
Trevoh was utterly stunned after scoring his goal, his expression speechless as he buried his face in his hands and sunk to his knees. Seconds afterwards his teammates swarmed around Trevoh and helped him to his feet, tears streaming from his eyes.
“I’m lost for words,” said Trevoh. “It’s been an amazing week for me. I’ve been at this club since I was eight. Playing at Stamford Bridge where I have been watching a lot of games, being a ball boy, watching games with my family. Finally playing here is amazing.”
Tuchel sang praises for the young defender, saying as quoted from BBC Sport, “He gets all the praise and it’s well deserved. He’s had two excellent matches. It’s fantastic these things happen in sport. A perfect day for him. This is what everyone loves about football, a mix of famous players from abroad and quality players from the academy.”
Despite breaking into the Chelsea senior setup in 2018, the young defender spent his last three seasons out on loan at Ipswich Town, Huddersfield Town, and Lorient. And with Tuchel placing faith in him in Chelsea’s last two matches, Trevoh is more than determined to add more minutes underneath his belt. However he understands the tough challenge awaiting him, especially with the likes of Silva, Zouma, Christensen, Rudiger, and Reece James ahead of him.
“In football it’s important to have consistency to stay grounded and hungry and want more,” said Trevoh.