Josh Acheampong has highlighted Levi Colwill's pivotal role in his first Premier League start for Chelsea in Saturday's draw against Crystal Palace. Short in defence at present due to injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile, the Cobham graduate came into Enzo Maresca's XI for the game at Selhurst Park.

The Chelsea boss did have experienced centre-backs Axel Disasi and Tosin Adarabioyo as part of his matchday squad but elected to start the 18-year-old ahead of them. In what was a disappointing result for Chelsea having led for so long before Jean-Philippe Mateta's late equaliser, Acheampong came out of the game with plenty of credit after delivering an assured performance alongside Colwill.

Although his defensive partner may only be a youngster himself at 21 years of age, Acheampong was certainly helped by Colwill's words before, during and after the game, something which very much highlights the England international's growing leadership qualities under Maresca.

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"It felt like a big step up physically but you get used to it training with my teammates," he said on his maiden Premier League start when talking to Chelsea's official website. "Levi [Colwill] helped me during, before, and after the game – even telling me to clap the fans. It’s great to have him around.

"I always try to work for more and more, and hopefully there are more opportunities to come."

Despite a real lack of Premier League experience with his only appearance in the top flight coming as a substitute in last April's home win over Spurs, Acheampong completed more passes and spent more time in possession than any other player on the Selhurst Park pitch.

"That’s one of the things I like to do when I play,’ he explained. "I like to be on the ball and especially as I got more and more into the game and more confident, it helped to be on the ball more.

"I don’t really think about my opponent, I just try to think about my own game. I block out the crowd and having played in big stadiums before, that helped me."

Maresca was certainly pleased with what he saw from the 18-year-old centre-back and duly praised him in his post-match press conference.

"All the players, for me, were good today but if I had to decide for one, I think for sure, Josh was our best player because of his age, it was his first game," stated the head coach. "Josh, for me, can be a top player for this club but he needs the right path, the right moment; for young players, you need to decide which moment.

"We decided today because we think he showed that he was ready. Today, I think he showed how good he is. Because of his age, he needs to slow down, work hard and take his next chance."

When asked if his selection decision shows how much trust he has in his player amid plenty of talk about going out to buy a new centre-back, Maresca added: "Yeah. Even if we don't decide to buy players or sell players because Josh has shown he is good. We already knew Josh was good enough.

"Probably with Wes [Fofana] and Benoit [Badiashile] injuries, we will see if something is going to happen."