Billy Gilmour Says It Was a 'Dream Come True' to Make EPL Debut for Chelsea

Chelsea midfielder Billy Gilmour said it was a "dream come true" to make his full Premier League debut for the Blues on Sunday against Everton at Stamford Bridge.

The 18-year-old spoke to Sky Sports News (h/t Matt Davies at the Evening Standard) about the game after Chelsea won 4-0 to close the gap on Leicester City in third place to two points.

"It was amazing, a dream come true to make my full debut in the Premier League, but most of all to get the three points and carry on winning. Hopefully we can continue that going forward.

"It was a tough game. I thought against Liverpool I played well, but you can only go into the next game and do exactly the same—work your hardest, play well and do the best for the team."

Manager Frank Lampard handed Gilmour his first league start for the club after he impressed in Tuesday's 2-0 FA Cup fifth-round win over Liverpool.

Former Manchester United midfielder Roy Keane was impressed with his performance against the Reds:

Lampard said before kick-off that the teenager "deserves to play" and that he had decided to start him because "he's trained well all season" in an interview with Sky Sports (h/t Metro).

Gilmour went on to produce a superb performance in the heart of midfield that saw him named the man of the match and attract plenty of praise:

Opta highlighted how impressive the youngster was in possession:

Lampard offered his thoughts on the teenager's performance in his post-match press conference.

"One of the most pleasing thing with Billy today was he showed those balls in the first half but when he stepped up and played higher up in the pitch second half he instantly took it on board, arriving in the box and playing balls higher up the pitch. He showed he can do both, which is a great thing for me when I'm thinking about how the midfield looks at times."

Chelsea were without injured midfielders N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic on Sunday, while Jorginho was absent through suspension which forced Lampard's hand slightly regarding his team selection.

Yet Gilmour has fully repaid his manager's faith with two impressive performances in a row and will be hoping for more first-team game time between now and the end of the campaign.