
Chelsea captain Reece James expressed his delight after making his return from injury during the Blues’ emphatic FA Cup triumph against Morecambe. The right-back, who has been sidelined with a recurring hamstring issue, featured for a planned 45 minutes in the game and contributed to the team’s commanding performance.
Speaking to the club’s official website, James highlighted the importance of the win, especially following a challenging period for the team:
“It was a big win for us. We’ve had a few tough results in recent weeks, so to record a big win at home in front of our fans is very pleasing and hopefully we can build on this now.”
The FA Cup holds a special place for James and Chelsea, with the captain emphasising the unpredictability of the competition: “The FA Cup is a special competition. There’s a lot of tough teams in the hat, but also there are teams at the lower end of the pyramid that can cause you problems. The manager made that clear to us before the game. We had to prepare right and attack the game with the right mentality, and we certainly did that.”
James also reiterated Chelsea’s ambitions in the tournament:
“Of course, we have aspirations of winning the FA Cup. No matter what competition we enter, we want to be there right until the very end, and that’s the same here.”
Reflecting on his personal return to action, the Chelsea skipper expressed satisfaction with his performance and the recovery process:
“I was pleased to be back out there, and playing 45 minutes was always the plan. I’ve been out for a little while, I’ve obviously wanted to get back out there to help the team, and we felt that this looked a good fixture to do that.”
Chelsea fans will be encouraged by James’ return as the team looks to build momentum in the FA Cup and beyond.