Enzo Maresca impressed by Chelsea academy duo Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong

Head coach Enzo Maresca praised the contributions of Chelsea’s academy graduates after Tyrique George scored his first senior goal and Josh Acheampong also impressed in their 3-0 Conference League win over Legia Warsaw.

After a poor first half in Poland it was quick reactions from 19-year-old winger George that handed Chelsea the breakthrough, tapping home when Reece James’ long-range strike was pushed out by the goalkeeper.

That came minutes after he had moved infield to the number 10 role following the withdrawal at half-time of Cole Palmer. On in his place came Noni Madueke, who marked his second appearance since returning from injury with two goals to effectively finish the tie ahead of the return at Stamford Bridge.

Of George’s goal, Maresca said: “I’m happy first of all for the Chelsea academy because he is one of our boys. He was quite good in the first half, taking responsibility. He was probably better in the middle.

“The one I fell in love with tonight is Josh Acheampong. He can be a fantastic player for this club. A good player can play in different positions and he showed that.

“Since we started I’m in love with him but tonight he showed he can be a very good player for this club. He can be good in different positions. The best thing for Josh is that he’s open – he wants to learn. ‘Full-back? No problem, what do I have to do?'”

The first half had produced a familiar story for Maresca’s side as they struggled to break down Legia, mainly due to a lack of movement whilst in possession and a difficulty in finding the crucial passes to break the lines.

By half-time they had enjoyed more than 70 per cent possession yet had managed just two attempts on target.

It followed similarly frustrating games recently including both legs of the last-16 tie against Copenhagen, which Chelsea eventually won 3-1 on aggregate but only after labouring through two awful first halves in either leg.

“It’s not easy because it happens every time,” said Maresca. “We have to learn to play that kind of game against teams that sit back. For sure, you can be quicker on the ball and take more risks, shoot more, like we scored the first one.

“Overall, a professional performance, a good result. We were much better in the second half compared to the first half for different reasons. We need to learn to play different kind of games.”

Palmer appeared to receive a knock in the first half before being taken off at the interval, though Maresca confirmed there was not a problem ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting at home to Ipswich.

“We planned for him and Tosin (Adarabioyo) to come off on 45 minutes,” he said. “Everything is fine.”