Chelsea player ratings vs AC Milan as Pedro makes statement, Gittens sharp, Delap stakes claim

Chelsea made it two wins from two in their mini pre-season with an accomplished performance against AC Milan at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. A blistering start and an early red card for the visitors ensured a positive few days was rounded off well for Enzo Maresca.

Coming off the back of beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 on Friday in the first match back from America, Chelsea came out of the blocks sharply, scoring twice inside the opening seven minutes. Joao Pedro kept up his remarkable form since joining, heading home from close range after Reece James’ free kick deflected in via Andrei Coubis just moments earlier.

With just two games to prepare for the new season ahead of the the visit of Crystal Palace, Maresca opted to go as strong as possible with his starting XI. That changed after half time, as it did against Leverkusen, but did allow for some possible tactical grooving.

Liam Delap was one of those introduced and got his first goal in front of his new home fans, converting a penalty won by Estevao Willian. There was to be no back-to-back clean sheet, though, as Youssouf Fofana sprung the offside trap and fired home to give Milan something to cheer about.

Delap added a fourth in the last minute, turning and shooting well after Andrey Santos’ flick round the corner. Here, football.london brings you analysis of each individual throughout and what they did during the game.

Robert Sanchez – Didn’t have loads to do but dud what he needed to well. Made two simple enough saves, beating away close-range shots from tight angles. Couldn’t do much about the goal. 6

Reece James – Whipped in the free kick that Coubis could only kick into his own net. Dealt with Rafael Leao well and even produced a cross that 2021 James would have been proud of, forcing a good clearance. Made one vital tackle to stop a certain goal after Yunus Musah had rounded Sanchez. 7

Tosin Adarabioyo – Made two timely tackles to keep Milan out on the break, even recovering from a slip to poke the ball away at one point. 7

Trevoh Chalobah – Reliable next to Tosin, hoofing one clearance up field to the delight of the fans. Had to go off with an injury which Chelsea will hope isn’t serious. 7

Marc Cucurella – Busy on the left and almost popped up with what would be a customary goal at this stage. Crashed the box at the end of the first half and offered plenty of energy going the other way to keep Yunus Musah quiet. 7

Enzo Fernandez – Not at his best after going without minutes on Friday. Maresca was unhappy with his defensive work at points. 6

Pedro Neto – Bright throughout the game, often moving inside the pitch to cross or shoot on his preferred left foot. Picked out Pedro no problem. 8

Cole Palmer – Lively in all the right areas. Deserved a goal for his two curling free kicks from distance but it wasn’t to be. Almost produced a Gus Poyet-like scissor kick as well. 8

Jamie Gittens – An exciting addition on the wing, bursting past his man with stepovers and drawing the foul which would result in Coubis’ own goal. Should have had at least a shot on target from two dangerous positions at the edge of the box. 7

Joao Pedro – Stellar yet again. Timed his run well to score from Neto’s cross and linked things neatly with some garbage collecting and distributing. 8

Substitutes

Josh Acheampong (On for Chalobah, 55′) – Frustrated Maresca at being slow to get ready and then drew his attention for stepping out at the wrong time. Did make a strong block shortly after. 6

Malo Gusto (On for James, 60′) – Came in at right-back and kept things tight. 6

Liam Delap (On for Pedro, 60′) – Held the ball up well and crossed from wide to create the penalty. Duly smashed the penalty past Maignan, low and hard to his left. Used the same finish for his second, firing in on the turn. 8

Andrey Santos (On for Fernandez, 60′) – Plenty of industry and steel in midfield to make things tick as the game promised to die out. Flicked for Delap’s second with a lovely touch. 6

Estevao Willian (On for Palmer, 60′) – Moved centrally to start as he did after half time against Leverkusen. Arriving at the back post again to draw the foul for the penalty. Had one long shot which was well saved, cutting in off the right. 7

Reggie Walsh (On for Caicedo, 70′) – Skipped past a challenge to set up George and made a tidy tackle. 6

Dario Essugo (On for Gittens, 70′) – Recovered excellently to stop an attack. Otherwise understated, but not in a bad way. 6

Jorrel Hato (On for Cucurella, 70′) – Pretty uneventful cameo. Once more asked to invert into midfield. Not scared to push up the pitch and support attacks. 6

Tyrique George (On for Neto, 70′) – Completed one mazy dribble but lost the ball before creating a chance. 6