His reaction to this goal – 10 seconds into the second half, three opponents beaten – was telling: not so much joy as a bashful smile. It felt like Loftus‑Cheek had inadvertently revealed an uncomfortable truth about the English game to which no one wanted to admit. That particular truth was that here was one of the best young English prospects in the game obliged to play at a level far beneath him, in what passes as reserve-team football these days, and yet still far enough from the Chelsea first team that he has started just one Premier League match all season and was substituted at half-time.