Antonio Conte showed great faith in Michy Batshuayi by allowing him to lead the line against Newcastle United and he was thoroughly rewarded.Chelsea dominated their FA Cup opponents from the first whistle with the Magpies torn open by a sensational team move in the 31st minute. Pedro started the phase of play with a brilliant long pass before some clever penalty area passing allowed Batshuayi to tap home. It was the type of poaching that, unexpectedly, Chelsea fans haven't seen in Alvaro Morata since the opening months of the season.Batshuayi then added a second to his tally, profiting from a Jamaal Lascelles deflection to defy Karl Darlow in the 44th minute. There was no hat-trick in the second half as Marcos Alonso added a third for the Blues but he saw out an impressive performance. It wasn't missed by the BT Sport pundits reporting on the game, either.

Batshuayi's Man of the Match performance

Jermaine Jenas explained: "As soon as he got that goal, you could see within him that the confidence grew, the players were trying to find him more often, he was making the right runs and he appears to be taking more responsibility."

High praise indeed and it was, arguably, a timely performance from the 24-year-old who has been linked with an exit this month. The likes of Borussia Dortmund, AS Monaco and even West Ham are all reportedly interested in his services.

Furthermore, Chelsea seem to be linked with a new striker every day. Aside from remarkable links with Ashley Barnes and Peter Crouch, the likelihood of Edin Dzeko joining remains high.

After seeing Batshuayi played against Newcastle, though, Chelsea fans know they want something and that's for him to stay, regardless of whether Dzeko comes or not.

Dzeko or not, fans want Batshuayi to stay

Take a look at the reaction:

Very interesting. Some Chelsea fans simply believe that Dzeko isn't needed, while some are licking their lips at the thought of Batshuayi rubbing shoulders with the Bosnian and Morata.

Whether or not the latter is a realistic goal for Chelsea is unknown and it could see Batshuayi's game-time decline majorly, yet it seems Blues supporters haven't forgotten their Belgian's skill.

Besides, if there's one thing you have to give Batshuayi credit for, it's taking the chance when he's given it.

As the man himself reflected on Twitter today: "Clean sheet, 2 goals and through next round 👌🏾 today was a good day @ChelseaFC." A good day indeed, Michy.

Do you think Chelsea should hold onto Michy Batshuayi? Have your say in the comments section below.