Ruben Loftus-Cheek inspirational Chelsea promise shows Romelu Lukaku problem cannot continue

I will never forget the unbridled joy felt standing in the front few rows of the Matthew Harding Lower over six years ago now as I witnessed Ruben Loftus-Cheek score his first senior goal for Chelsea.

An inviting loose ball at the edge of the box sparked a sense of anticipation from those behind the net as the midfielder latched onto it and struck the ball home. It felt ironic that Loftus-Cheek's first goal came in the FA Cup in 2016 against Scunthorpe in a similar fashion to his latest against Crystal Palace in the same competition.

Sunday's opener at Wembley was of much greater significance, breaking the deadlock in a tense semi-final where the Blues had struggled to get going. It also felt like a definitive step in Loftus-Cheek's redemption story which has felt long and arduous.

Thomas Tuchel's passionate Ruben Loftus-Cheek warning a wake-up call to Chelsea academy stars

The technique behind the goal that was blasted past Jack Butland was fierce, with almost three years of frustration being let out. It was back in the spring of 2019 when Loftus-Cheek's last goal came for Chelsea. It was another semi-final opener, this time against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League.

This was a time when the academy graduate was truly starting to blossom, years of untapped potential finally coming into reality. That spring under Maurizio Sarri still is talked about amongst supporters as the run where all our hopes and dreams over Loftus-Cheek were vindicated, even if for only a brief period.

All of his traits that had struggled to sync together had finally merged to create a truly transformative talent who was quickly impacting big games for the club. Then the game-changing Achilles tear that reshaped the next period of his