Alfie Gilchrist says Mauricio Pochettino gives youngsters like him the "belief" they need to make it at Chelsea.
The 20-year-old has gone from sitting in the East Stand upper tier as a fan to helping beat Tottenham 2-0 in his first home Premier League start at Stamford Bridge.
The homegrown star’s rise has captured the imagination of supporters, who chanted “he’s one of our own” on Thursday night.
Having also signed a new contract until 2026 last month and earned praise for his "unbelievable attitude" from club legend John Terry, Gilchrist said while pointing: “I sat up in the East Stand upper. I wanted to be down here playing whenever I was up there.
“That’s what I am doing now. If you told me this would happen before the season, I probably wouldn’t have believed you, but it is a dream come true.
“I hope to keep ticking off these achievements. I feel I have taken my chance tonight. These games will only help me and I will keep improving when I keep testing myself against the best players. My family say keep going and believe in your ability.”
Gilchrist put in an impressive performance, marking Son Heung-min in the first half and Brennan Johnson in the second half. He helped his team keep a clean sheet after goals from Trevoh Chalobah and Nicolas Jackson.
But he has hailed Pochettino's influence after enduring a 5-0 defeat away at Arsenal on his first league start last week.
"He has given me a lot of confidence and got me to keep believing and do my thing and play my football for Chelsea,” Gilchrist said.
"He keeps us calm and tells us what to do. We are all still learning, and the support is brilliant.
"I feel like [he believed in me] after I came on after my debut at Palace. He started pushing me even more. I got my first start and built a good relationship with him from there."
Gilchrist wants to contribute to Chelsea's hunt for Europe qualification, adding: “It gives us all belief, boosts our confidence massively, and makes us want to keep climbing up the table. We just need to keep building."
