“Shouldn’t have been dropped”, “Criminal offense” – Chelsea fans convinced 22-year-old star should play regularly after shining against Bournemouth

Chelsea fans were happy to see defender Benoit Badiashile's performance during the Premier League away clash against Bournemouth away on Saturday, May 6. The central defender scored a goal and was solid at the heart of the defense during the 3-1 win.

Badiashile, who joined the club from AS Monaco in January, was dropped from the side by Frank Lampard in recent games. Upon his return to the team, the Frenchman put on an impressive display.

Apart from his goal, Badiashile made three interceptions, won two aerial duels, and completed 86 passes. Fans lauded the 22-year-old for the performance as one of them wrote on Twitter:

"That’s why he shouldn’t have been dropped. Badiashile is him."

Another claimed:

"I don't want to see Badiashile on the bench again, it's a criminal offense."

The Blues, meanwhile, jumped to the 11th spot in the league table courtesy of their win. They now have 42 points from 34 games. The win against Bournemouth also ended Frank Lampard's 100% losing record as the caretaker manager.

The west Londoners won their first game after six straight losses. Conor Gallagher opened the scoring for Chelsea before Matias Vina equalized. Badiashile and Joao Felix scored two late goals to seal a 3-1 win. Lampard's side will return to action on May 13 to take on Nottingham Forest in a Premier League home clash.

Here are some of the best reactions across Twitter after Badiashile's performance during Chelsea's win against Bournemouth:

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Frank Lampard spoke about Chelsea's young players

The core of Chelsea's squad is made up of young players. The likes of Badiashile, Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Conor Gallagher, and more are still in the budding stages of their careers.

Hence, for any manager in charge, it's crucial to give those players the chance to fulfill their potential. Lampard addressed the topic in his post-match press conference as he told the media (via Football.London):

"My role now is to try and give those players minutes. But also as much as there's that, I also have to work with all of the other players and do that too. Noni's performance on Tuesday gets him in the team today. We all saw Benoit today, it's pretty clear he's got a big talent."

Chelsea, meanwhile, should look to build on the win against Bournemouth and finish their season in a strong manner. With good performances in the remaining four matches, they could manage a somewhat respectable finish.