Tosin Adarabioyo has mocked West Ham after helping to a comfortable 3-0 victory on Saturday. The game represented Adarabioyo's first Premier League start for his boyhood club as he stood in following a defensive reshuffle.
Having come on late in the 1-0 win over Bournemouth last weekend, Adarabioyo was trusted in the centre next to Levi Colwill as Enzo Maresca shifted Wesley Fofana to right-back in the absence of Malo Gusto and Reece James. The former Fulham man slotted in well, helping to keep a clean sheet in the second consecutive league game (and away league game) for Chelsea.
It's the first time since October 2024 that they have managed this feat even though both Bournemouth and West Ham had periods in which they looked likely to score. Adarabioyo and Co weathered the storm though, with Nicolas Jackson's early double enough to put Chelsea well on top.
Cole Palmer made it three shortly after the break with Maresca's side on the back foot towards the end of the first half, and Maresca was left extremely impressed with his side come the end. "Especially with the performance and the three points, that is the most important thing," he said, analysing the match at full time.
"Also, a clean sheet, so it has been a complete performance. We are very happy." For Adarabioyo, things could have backfired if Chelsea had failed to get a first win at the London Stadium since Thomas Tuchel managed it via a Timo Werner goal in April 2022.
The 26-year-old had posted online ahead of the match with images from his work in training, captioning it, "Bubbles to burst. [bubble emoji]".
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It is the type of thing that can come back to bite pretty quickly, especially if the result doesn't follow. He managed to help anchor the side in a positive display at the London Stadium though, and was eager to take another shot at the Hammers.
"Pop, pop. [bubbles emoji]" he wrote afterwards. It reflects what has already become apparent so far since his arrival, that Adarabioyo is a confident member of the squad.
Although his minutes so far this term have been largely limited to the Conference League, it maintains a largely positive start to life at Chelsea for Adarabioyo. With more performances and cheek like this, he could find himself becoming a fan favourite sooner rather than later.
