Facundo Buonanotte Likened to Chelsea Legend After Scoring First Goal for Club

Chelsea fans liked what they saw from Facundo Buonanotte after the 20-year-old scored his first goal for the club in Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Lincoln City.

The Carabao Cup clash against League One opposition was only Buonanotte’s second appearance for Chelsea since he moved to Stamford Bridge from Brighton & Hove Albion on a season-long loan on September 1.

Buonanotte’s loan deal does not include an option for Chelsea to buy him for a pre-agreed fee next summer. However, based on their reaction to his performance on Tuesday, many Blues supporters would very much like to see him stay beyond the end of the current campaign.

His goal arrived five minutes into the second half at Sincil Bank when he demonstrated neat control inside a crowded penalty area before poking a precise shot past the keeper with his left foot.

That goal came just moments after Tyrique George had equalised for the Premier League outfit, who had gone into the half-time interval behind thanks to a 42nd-minute strike from Robert Street.

Chelsea fans impressed with Facundo Buonanotte

Social media was full of Chelsea fans praising Buonanotte after the final whistle on Tuesday. One fan tweeted: “Can’t lie Buonanotte is a tidy little player.”

Another Blues supporter wrote: “From what I’ve seen so far, Buonanotte looks like a real tidy player. Hopefully we will see more of him in the coming weeks.”

A third added: “Buonanotte looks like a Barca player. He likes short passing and combinations.”

One Chelsea fan even suggested Buonanotte was better than Xavi Simons, who joined London rivals Tottenham on deadline day in a deal worth £51 million. They declared: “Who cares about losing Xavi Simons when we’ve got Buonanotte? What a player.”

“Juan Mata 2.0”

Multiple Chelsea fans also likened Buonanotte — who was recently added to Chelsea’s Champions League squad — to club legend Juan Mata.

Spanish playmaker Mata played 135 games for Chelsea between 2011 and 2013, scoring 33 goals and winning three trophies — including the Champions League and Europa League.

Mata was famous for being extremely confident with either foot.

After Tuesday’s game, one Chelsea fan’s tweet read: “Facundo Buonanotte is Juan Mata 2.0 loading I’m telling you”.

A similar message from a different fan added: “Facundo Buonanotte is all about technical security and vision. Like Juan Mata, he turns lack of explosiveness into an asset — scanning early, connecting play, and owning the half-spaces. Incredible player. Even in this PnP era, he’ll be fine.”

Buonanotte’s Chelsea debut in numbers

Buonanotte started the game and remained on the field until the 94th minute when he was subbed off for 16-year-old Reggie Walsh.

The Brighton loanee registered more shots (three) than any of his teammates, getting two on target. He also had a 100% success rate with his 25 attempted passes.

Defensively, Buonanotte was busy and pressed hard. But he committed more fouls (four) than any other Chelsea player.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said at his post-match press conference: “Buonanotte was very good. I think first-half, we all struggled a little bit, second-half I think we were much, much better.”