Everton forward Romelu Lukaku has said whilst he is grateful to Chelsea he doesn’t feel like he has to prove anything to them.
Before today Lukaku had never scored against his old club but he put Chelsea to the sword twice, with the first in particular being a very impressive solo goal as he bulldozed his way past the Chelsea defence before slotting past Thibaut Courtois.
He joined the club as an 18-year old but he wasn’t given a chance by the club in the first team even though he did well out on loan with West Brom and Everton.
Eventually the Toffees signed him on a permanent basis and he has proven to be a worthwhile investment, having scored over 20 goals this season in all competitions.
Speaking after the game Lukaku said that he was grateful to Chelsea but he doesn’t think he has to prove anything to the old club.
“It feels great, I am just happy for the team and to do something we wanted. Now we have 90 minutes to go and we delivered a good performance after the loss against West Ham.
“I think the first goal is the best thing, I didn’t know where I was going but then I was in the box. I saw Gary Cahill not know where he was going so I shifted it onto my left foot.
“It was just another goal and happy for the team. If you wan to win cups, you have to beat the big teams.
“I don’t think I have anything to prove to Chelsea, I went there as an 18- year-old and learnt the trade of being a professional footballer. I will always be grateful to them.
“If we work hard and are clinical offensively and defensively, we have a chance.”
Contrast Lukaku’s humbleness and his fierce determination, with Diego Costa, who was sent off for a petulant reaction to a Gareth Barry challenge and you have to feel the club made a massive mistake to let him go.
Of course the fee they received was fantastic for a player so young, but Lukaku has proven they were wrong on a number of occasions.
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