Dominic Solanke has sent Tosin Adarabioyo a classy message following Chelsea's 1-0 win over Djurgårdens. The Blues cruised to victory at Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening, booking a place in the UEFA Conference League final.
After storming past the Swedish outfit in the first leg, taking a 4-1 aggregate lead back to west London, Enzo Maresca made wholesale changes. Josh Acheampong joined Adarabioyo at the back, while Tyrique George led the frontline.
Reggie Walsh was also given the nod, becoming the club's youngest starter on the European stage aged 16 years and 200 days. The midfielder, who doesn't turn 17 until October, made his senior debut in the first leg, coming off the bench to become Chelsea's third youngest ever player.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall fired the Blues ahead shortly before half-time, which prompted the arrivals of a few more Cobham prospects. Shim Mheuka replaced Marc Cucurella at the break before Genesis Antwi came on for Jadon Sancho with 20 minutes to go.
After the game, Adarabioyo marked the occasion with a celebratory post on Instagram. Keeping it short and sweet, the 27-year-old defender wrote: "Finale pending."
Among the supporters who flooded the comment section, Solanke left Adarabioyo a classy message. Putting rivalries aside, the Tottenham Hotspur striker, who had just reached the UEFA Europa League final that evening, posted a clapping emoji and a heart emoji.
Cucurella also marked the occasion with a celebratory post on Instagram. The 26-year-old defender wrote: "See you in Wroclaw [blue heart emoji]!"
Speaking to reporters after the game, Enzo Maresca heaped praise on his players for reaching the Conference League final. The Chelsea boss said: "We were trying to work every day to reach the final, now we are in the final.
"Now the next step is try to win this competition. We have 20 days to prepare the final. Before that, we have three more finals, Premier League finals, and hopefully we can finish in the right way."
Before locking horns with Real Betis in Poland, the Blues have some difficult Premier League fixtures on the horizon. This weekend, Chelsea will face Newcastle United at St. James' Park.
"It's a big one, it's a huge one," said Maresca on Friday afternoon. "United will be a big one, Forest will be a big one. Now we have three more games, all of them are going to be big games.
"For sure, Sunday is a chance to start in the right way. We are in a good run, in a good mood and hopefully we can play a good game and win the game."
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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