Joe Cole says Chelsea winger made the difference vs Lille

Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has heaped praise on Callum Hudson-Odoi following his impact off the bench against Lille in the Champions League.

The England international was brought on to the field by the Blues after the hour mark when the scores were 1-1 and he provided a delightful floated cross which contributed to Willian's sublime volleyed winner.

Speaking after the game, Cole said that it is always difficult to pick up away wins in the Champions League and praised Hudson-Odoi for making the difference with his direct running and willingness to cross the ball.

"They probably don’t even realise how good a result that is tonight, going away to a place like Lille, 54,000. They just stopped the crowd early on, the system worked very well. Lille looked like they didn’t have anything and then Callum (Hudson-Odoi) came on and made the difference," he told BT Sport.

Hudson-Odoi has earned less than 180 minutes of action since returning from a long-term Achilles injury but he has already made an impact with one goal and a couple of assists.

The Blues are scheduled to face Southampton in the Premier League this weekend and Hudson-Odoi could be handed with his maiden league start of the campaign.