Chelsea ended their pre-season on a high with a 4-1 victory over AC Milan at Stamford Bridge, a confident send-off ahead of next weekend’s Premier League opener. Two quick-fire goals — an own goal from Andrei Coubis and a Joao Pedro header — had Enzo Maresca side firmly in control within eight minutes. Things went from bad to worse for Milan when Coubis was shown a red card midway through the first half for denying Pedro a clear scoring chance.
After the interval, Liam Delap extended the lead from the penalty spot before Youssef Fofana grabbed a consolation for the visitors. Delap struck again late on to restore the three-goal advantage and round off an all-round impressive performance. With Crystal Palace visiting Stamford Bridge next weekend, here are five takeaways from the final friendly.
Fernandez moving freely despite strapped knee
Enzo Fernandez was the only outfield player unused in Friday’s friendly with Bayer Leverkusen, raising questions over a possible knock. Starting against Milan with his right knee heavily strapped, the 24-year-old Argentinian moved freely and showed no sign of discomfort. Only Moises Caicedo and Cole Palmer played more Premier League matches than Fernandez last season, underlining his importance to Maresca.
Gittens shows spark, but end product lacking
Chelsea brought in Jamie Gittens from Borussia Dortmund for £48.5 million plus £3.5 million in add-ons, then sold Noni Madueke to Arsenal for the same fee. It’s too soon to judge which club got the better deal, but Gittens has impressed with his pace in Chelsea’s friendlies. The 21-year-old frequently outpaced Yunus Musah here, though his finishing needs polish — several good chances were sent over or wide.
Maresca possible Palace line-up
Referee Michael Salisbury issued a straight red to Coubis after 18 minutes for stopping Pedro’s run on goal — correct by the letter of the law, if unusual in a friendly. It followed the defender’s earlier own goal, capping a miserable day for him. Maresca may have preferred his side to face 11 men as preparation for Palace, but his decision to keep the starting XI unchanged at half-time hints this could be his opening-day line-up. The only concern was Trevoh Chalobah hobbling off in the second half, with Levi Colwill already sidelined.
Set-pieces still an area to improve
Chelsea’s set-piece returns have been modest in recent years — 12 goals (excluding penalties) in each of the past two seasons, a solidly mid-table record. Their opener here came from one, though, as Reece James’ wide free-kick forced Coubis’ own goal. Set-piece coach Bernardo Cueva was the only member of staff to leap from the bench in celebration, a sign of its significance. James’ deliveries remain one of Chelsea’s most dangerous weapons.
