Chelsea prevailed over Udinese 3-1 in well-tempered pre-season action at the Dacia Arena on Friday evening.
The Blues turned in a much better performance than the damning 4-0 beating at the hands of London rivals Arsenal, with the tight scoreline belying their dominance but not their sheer wastefulness in the final third.
The World Champions gradually turned the screw in the first period, punctuated by a fizzing low drive from the rather unlikely source of N'Golo Kanté in the 20th minute. Raheem Sterling piled on the misery with his first Chelsea goal just 17 minutes later, yet time remained for former Watford man Gerard Deulofeu to scramble home a rebound and keep Thomas Tuchel's men honest on the stroke of half-time.
In spite of that response, the Italian outfit were clearly feeling the heat on home soil and suffering from the Blues' intensity in the sweltering conditions despite being under the cover of night. The first half performance was a far cry and time removed from the events of last week, no doubt much to the delight of Thomas Tuchel who raised reservations about his side's readiness for the season opener against Everton.
Advert
With that said, Chelsea's well-trodden troubles with profligacy are never far around the corner. The visitors conspired to struggle to notch a third goal to seal the game, with the phalanx of Sterling, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount all having golden chances go amiss. But the latter prodded home in the final minute of regulation time to add some gloss.
The win represents a return to form for the King of the King's Road and a significant reversal of their miserable pre-season fortunes. These two sides will clash again tomorrow morning with the Pensioners set to field a heavily rotated squad.
In the interim, here is how Absolute Chelsea rated the Blues’ performance in Udine:
Advert
Edouard Mendy - 5/10
May as well have still been doing his stretches for the majority of the tie, but was caught flapping for the hosts' goal undone by the weakness of the strike.
Cesar Azpilicueta - 6/10
Chelsea fans never know if they'll be seeing their skipper for the last time, but every time he takes to the field they are reminded that his years are inevitably advancing. Had to bust a lung to keep up with a handful of counter-attacks launched by I Friulani. Yet, there were no overt mistakes and he went about his business with the minimum of fuss.
Advert
Thiago Silva - 7/10
O Monstro was relatively unbothered in the heart of the Blues' backline, able to progress the ball in a pedestrian manner while also snuffing out rare signs of danger with his immaculate defensive positioning.
Kalidou Koulibaly - 9/10 [72]
Advert
A first start in royal Blue on familiar stomping grounds for the lone shining light in the drubbing against their noisy North London neighbours. The 'other' Senegalese giant was heralded for his last ditch blocks and defensive awareness in that fixture, and it was more of the same here including a world-class tackle while sweeping up a counter-attack in the first half. Oozes confidence and authority on the ball and, on the very early evidence at least, seems a natural fit for the fabled number 26 shirt.
Reece James - 6/10 [72]
By his usual bombastic standards on the right flank, this was a quiet night from the quiet personality. It very much looks like he is still playing himself into fitness, perhaps more so than those around him.
Jorginho - 7/10 [84]
Advert
A very disciplined and tidy performance from Chelsea's midfield maestro in the centre of the park. He found his teammates at will, zipping passes with pointed precision and showing a calm assurance under pressure.
N'Golo Kante - 8/10
A first sighting of the illustrious Frenchman in pre-season after he wasn't able to join up with the wider Chelsea squad in the United States on medical grounds, and a welcome one to be sure. There were no signs of ring rust from the two time Premier League champion, who was exceptional at progressing the ball and got his just reward with a stunning low drive from distance.
Marcos Alonso - 5/10
Wasteful in the early going with some poor pass selection and a general lethargy to his play in the warm Italian climate. His left foot will always remain a dangerous asset in crossing positions, but it's his deficiencies at the back which cause the most collective headaches.
Mason Mount - 9/10
Chelsea's talisman was bright as a button and oozed creativity on the evening, setting up his colleagues on a number of occasions with his quick thinking and fleet-footedness.
Raheem Sterling - 8/10 [84]
Chelsea's big money signing is off the mark for the club - albeit with a rather fortunate goal - and while it bodes well given he surely stands to shoulder some of the heavy goal burden on the Blues, he really could have had more. That aside, his all around play was extremely positive, displaying a deft centre of gravity on the turn frequently and demonstrating his world-class dribbling.
Kai Havertz - 6/10 [72]
Perennially known as a slow starter to the season and the omens before the season proper continue to leave the same impression. The silky German is looking more languid than anything else, with some poor decision-making in the final third and a lack of cutting edge. Just can't seem to buy a goal, although it's a problem mostly shared by his peers.
Bench
Harvey Vale - 6/10 [72]
A short cameo full of energy and smart passing for the young starlet. A welcome sight after he departed the US tour prematurely.
Emerson - 6/10 [72]
Not afraid to get forward and did his bit at the back too when Udinese threatened to snatch an unexpected equaliser.
Callum Hudson-Odoi- 7/10 [72]
Looked determined to make an impression, and he did just that with a tidy assist at the death with a Cobham connection with Mount.
Kenedy - N/A [84]
Billy Gilmour - N/A [84]
Featured Image Credit: Alamy