Everton striker Romelu Lukaku has insisted that he will “always be grateful” to Chelsea, after scoring two goals to knock his former club out of the FA Cup.
The 22-year-old settled Saturday evening’s quarter-final tiewith a couple of late strikes, including one fine individual effort that encapsulated all of the Belgian’s star qualities.
Having failed to make an impact at Chelsea during his time in West London, and subsequently allowed to leave for Everton in 2014, Lukaku claims that his latest double has no added significance.
“I don’t think I have anything to prove to Chelsea,” he is quoted as saying by BBC Sport. “I went there as an 18-year-old and learnt the trade of being a professional footballer. I will always be grateful to them.
“It feels great [to score]. I am just happy for the team and to do something we wanted. Now we have 90 minutes to go and we delivered a good performance after the loss against West Ham. I think the first goal is the best thing, I didn’t know where I was going but then I was in the box.
“It was just another goal and I’m happy for the team. If you wan to win cups, you have to beat the big teams. If we work hard and are clinical offensively and defensively, we have a chance.”
Everton join fellow Premier League side Crystal Palace in the hat for the semi-final draw, which will take place on Monday evening.
