Callum Hudson-Odoi started Chelsea’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg with Tottenham and was substituted after 80 minutes with the Blues trailing 1-0.

The 18-year-old winger has been linked with a big money move to Bayern Munich.

Here Press Association Sport assesses his performance at Wembley.

 

PRESSURE COOKER

The build-up to Tuesday’s match featured plenty of speculation on the future of Hudson-Odoi, with reports of renewed bids from Bayern. Maurizio Sarri said Hudson-Odoi, who has 18 months to run on his contract, was now “ready” to challenge Willian and Pedro to play in big games.

He started and faced the broadcasters pre-match, insisting his focus was on the game. If his desire is to play more and in the big games, the opportunity was now there.

Hudson-Adoi started for the Blues but the use of Hazard up top negated his threat somewhat.

POSITIVE PLAY

Hudson-Odoi ran at England left-back Danny Rose and shot straight at Paulo Gazzaniga in the seventh minute. His positive approach continued as he took every opportunity to run at Spurs’ defence. Unfortunately for him and Chelsea, those chances did not come often enough.

 

NOT QUITE EXCITING WITH EDEN

Hudson-Odoi stuck to his task, hugging the right wing, which often meant he was isolated from his Chelsea team-mates as Tottenham enjoyed midfield supremacy. It was perhaps hoped he and Eden Hazard would link up, but Spurs’ stranglehold made that difficult.

The Belgian’s future is in doubt, with his contract expiring at the same time as Hudson-Odoi’s, in June 2020.

 

DECISION MAKING

Hudson-Odoi set up both goals for Alvaro Morata in last Saturday’s FA Cup win over Nottingham Forest with traditional wing play, finished by a traditional centre-forward. Chelsea did not have a recognised striker on the pitch and Hudson-Odoi was deprived of that option.

Harry Kane scored the crucial goal.

Instead, his preference was to cut in and shoot. The nearest he came to scoring, though, was a deep cross which ballooned off Rose and was touched on to the post by Paulo Gazzaniga in first-half stoppage time.

 

IMPACT

It was Willian, not Hudson-Odoi, who made way for Pedro in the second half, with the teenager swapping wings. When Sarri did send on Olivier Giroud, Chelsea’s best header of the ball, it was Hudson-Odoi who was taken off. That was baffling to some.