Reece James' long-awaited return to Chelsea's line-up will be a welcomed boost to Graham Potter for the second half of the season.
The Cobham graduate retained his place in the Blues side at right-back after missing the previous six games in all competitions due to a repeated knee injury sustained in December's 2-0 win over Bournemouth. James had missed most of November and December after initially picking up the injury at AC Milan - forcing him out of the World Cup.
James' absence, alongside fellow wing-back Ben Chilwell, has left a gaping hole in Potter's side this season and his return last night almost provided a feeling of a new signing. The England international started from the off against Fulham and played an hour before being replaced by Cesar Azpilicueta.
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As ever, James impressed in Chelsea's backline and contained ex-Blues winger Willian quite well. The defender completed 87% of his passes and made five recoveries. The rustiness in his play was expected and Potter will be hoping to have the 23-year-old fit for the rest of the season.
After the game, Chelsea's social media team opted to take to Twitter to send their congratulations to James for his return. Alongside an image of the Blues star, they wrote: "Reply with a better RB," and Fulham took the opportunity to bite back.
Brazilian Kenny Tete was awarded Man of the Match by the Premier League after an impressive display against Mykhailo Mudryk and then Noni Madueke. The Cottages quoted Chelsea's original tweet with a picture of Tete with his Man of the Match trophy.
“Unbelievable game. Not only from me, but from our back line, actually from every single player so I’m really happy to become player of the match," he told FFCTV.
"I felt really good today. I think the way we played as a team was also great and I could show my qualities. I think it went well today. It wasn’t easy, you know. I had three or four players on my side, I had to adapt quickly. I just tried to win my duels and be defensively. I’m happy that I can help the team with that.”
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