Estêvão came off the bench to win a penalty for Chelsea. / IMAGO/Sports Press Photo
Chelsea’s last pre-season friendly of a condensed preparation period was effectively over as a contest inside the opening 20 minutes.
AC Milan’s luckless centre back Andrei Coubiş turned the ball into his own net in the fifth minute, watching on despairingly as Reece James’s arcing set-piece delivery trundled off his shins and beyond the helpless grasp of Mike Maignan.
Barely two minutes had elapsed before the former Chelsea target was picking the ball out of his net once again. João Pedro got the decisive touch on this occasion, glancing Pedro Neto’s devilishly weighted cross into the far corner to continue his fine form in blue.
Pedro was the cause of Coubiş’s dismissal in the 19th minute. Chelsea’s summer recruit got his body between the Romanian defender and Robert Sánchez’s long punt upfield before dropping to the turf. Pedro appeared to have a fistful of his opponent’s shirt, yet it was Coubiş who was penalised and earned the rarest of all things: a red card in a friendly.
Despite being reduced to 10 men for more than 70 minutes, Milan had chances of their own at a sun-soaked Stamford Bridge. Luka Modrić’s half-time introduction for his unofficial Milan debut sparked a ripple of excitement in the crowd, but Liam Delap would soon quash any hope of a comeback.
The former Ipswich Town forward, who usurped Nicolas Jackson only to find himself behind Pedro in Chelsea’s striker pecking order, dispatched a penalty in 67th minute to make it 3–0. Estêvão won the spot kick in another eye-catching cameo just two days after dazzling in his first outing for the club.
Youssouf Fofana reduced the deficit for Milan with a clinical surge into Chelsea’s penalty box in the 70th minute, perhaps giving Enzo Maresca more evidence for his argument that the Blues need a new centre back following Levi Colwill’s ACL injury.
Delap ensured the hosts would have the final cheer of the afternoon, whipping a first-time shot into the bottom corner in the 90th minute. It remains to be seen if his late brace will be enough to earn Delap a starting spot for Chelsea’s Premier League opener against Crystal Palace next weekend.
Chelsea enjoyed Sunday’s friendly win. / IMAGO/Sports Press Photo
Player
Rating (Out of 10)
GK: Robert Sánchez
6.9
RB: Reece James
8.1
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo
7.5
CB: Trevoh Chalobah
6.5
LB: Marc Cucurella
6.8
CM: Enzo Fernández
6.7
CM: Moisés Caicedo
7.3
AM: Cole Palmer
7.4
RW: Pedro Neto
7.6
ST: João Pedro
7.9
LW: Jamie Gittens
6.3
SUB: Josh Acheampong (57’ for Chalobah)
6.7
SUB: Andrey Santos (60’ for Fernández)
6.9
SUB: Liam Delap (60’ for Pedro)
8.5
SUB: Malo Gusto (61’ for James)
6.3
SUB: Estêvão (61’ for Palmer)
7.0
SUB: Reggie Walsh (73’ for Neto)
6.3
SUB: Tyrique George (73’ for Gittens)
6.2
SUB: Jorrel Hato (73’ for Cucurella)
6.2
SUB: Dario Essugo (73’ for Caicedo)
6.7
Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Gabriel Slonina (GK), Aaron Anselmino, Sam Rak-Sakyi, Genesis Antwil
