Chelsea rounded off their truncated pre-season preparations with an emphatic 4-1 win over 10-man AC Milan at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues’ 2024/25 campaign finished with the Club World Cup final only 28 days earlier and their second friendly came just 48 hours after the first, a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen.
An own goal from Andrei Coubis, two from Liam Delap and one from Joao Pedro sealed an impressive victory for Enzo Maresca’s side.
There was concern, however, for defender Trevoh Chalobah, who rolled his ankle early in the second half, particularly given the Blues recently saw Levi Colwill sustain an ACL injury.
Speaking to 5 after the game, however, Maresca said there was no issue with Chalobah, which suggested his substitution was precautionary rather than anything else.
In their final friendly before the Premier League opener against Crystal Palace – which is live on Sky Sports next Sunday – there was no sign of any fatigue for the Blues.
Sunday 17th August 1:00pm
Kick off 2:00pm
Reece James’ free-kick hit the feet of Coubis and crossed the line before he had time to do anything about it and, within two minutes, Joao Pedro lost his marker and nodded Pedro Neto’s curling ball home with ease.
It got worse for Milan when Coubis was deservedly shown a straight red card on 18 minutes after clumsily hauling Joao Pedro down when he was through on goal.
Joao Pedro celebrates with team-mate Pedro Neto after scoring Chelsea’s second goal against AC Milan
With the visitors offering very little, Chelsea probably could have added more before the break; Cole Palmer hit the post with one free-kick, saw another effort go inches wide, then sent a scissor-kick volley across the face of goal. Instead, they slowed the play down and conserved energy in the latest UK heatwave.
And to sum up a largely forgettable first half, the Serie A giants had a tidy Rafael Leao header ruled out for offside in the build up.
Shortly after Chalobah’s aforementioned exit, substitute Estevao Willian won a penalty after being bundled over, which Liam Delap hammered low to goalkeeper Mike Maignan’s right.
The lead was quickly reduced to two again, though, as Youssouf Fofana beat Robert Sanchez at his near post to give the travelling Milan contingent something to shout about.
But Chelsea showed they are ready to hit the ground running next week when Delap scored his second with a clinical first-time finish after Andrey Santos’ sumptuous pass to tee him up.
Maresca ‘excited’ ahead of second season
Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca:
“I think the performance was very good until the red card. We started the way we wanted – intense and with a high tempo on and off the ball.
“The red card changed a little bit the game but it’s also normal as Milan started pre-season 40 days ago and this was their sixth friendly.
“It’s our second one. But overall I’m very happy, and now we start the Premier League.
“I’m confident in general and excited. We have another long season ahead and we are going to try to do our best.”
Joao Pedro: I’m happy for Delap!
Chelsea forward Joao Pedro speaking to Channel 5:
“I am very happy to score at Stamford Bridge. I think I enjoyed this pre-season, two goals in two games. Now, we need to rest and start well in the Premier League.”
Asked about applauding the goals by Liam Delap and the competition between them:
“I don’t want to say competition, I think it is very good for Chelsea to have both strikers at a good level. In the last game, he did not score. Today, he scored two goals. I am very happy for him.”
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James: Everyone is excited
Chelsea captain Reece James speaking to 5:
“It is always a sign when you lift a trophy. We finished last season really strong with two trophies. It is a good feeling at the moment.
“We are confident. We are world champions. We have had a really difficult period in the last two years and we have come a long way. This season, everyone is excited. We are in a good position.”
Sky Sports to show 215 live Premier League games from this season
From this season, Sky Sports’ Premier League coverage will increase from 128 matches to at least 215 games exclusively live.
And 80 per cent of all televised Premier League games this season are on Sky Sports.
