Josh Acheampong wowed on his full Premier League debut for Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.

The 18-year-old was a surprise inclusion in the Blues' line-up to take on Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge. Going into the game, we had only seen the teenager used at right-back in his short senior career but with injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile, Acheampong started alongside Levi Colwill at Selhurst Park.

"It was a really enjoyable game and my first Premier League start," the Cobham graduate said. "I've worked a lot for it, and overall it was really enjoyable, but it is unfortunate that we couldn't come away with the three points."

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Acheampong, who has been with the club since Under-8s level, starred alongside Colwill as Chelsea settled for a point at Selhurst Park. Cole Palmer handed the Blues an early lead in south London and it looked, for the majority of the game, as if the efforts of Acheampong and Colwill would see Chelsea through for a clean sheet. However, Jean-Philippe Mateta levelled with less than 10 minutes of normal time to play.

While the teenage sensation was impressive in a defensive aspect, it was his calmness and composure while in possession that really caught the eye. In fact, Acheampong completed more passes than any other player on the pitch - something that seemingly comes natural to him.

"That's one of the things I like to do when I play," the defender continued. "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."

After the game, Acheampong was being serenaded by his teammates; who realised the shift the teenager had put in on his first start in the top-flight. While the Chelsea players headed towards the away section of the stadium to applaud the supporters, Colwill realised just how well Acheampong did and pushed him towards the fans to let him have his moment.

"It felt like a big step up physically," Acheampong explained. "But you get used to it training with my teammates. Levi helped me during, before, and after the game - even telling me to clap the fans.

"It is great to have him around. I always try to work for more and more, and hopefully there are even more opportunities to come."

It may not seem too much but Colwill acknowledging his younger, less experienced teammate's performance and egging him on to go and have a moment with the fans, was a real sign of leadership from the 21-year-old. The England international, who has been one of the Blues' most consistent defenders this season, is part of the club's 'leadership group' - and Enzo Maresca said prior to the weekend's draw with Crystal Palace that Colwill could become the captain of Chelsea in the future.

"I can see the leader day by day, since we started in pre-season, something that he can improve in terms of leadership, he is improving a lot," Maresca said at Cobham last Friday. "Levi, even if he is not wearing the armband, he is one of the captains and in the future, he could be a captain of this club. Since we started, he is improving a lot."