Chelsea ended their pre-season campaign on a high with a dominant 4–1 win over AC Milan at Stamford Bridge, lifting the VisitMalta Weekender trophy and setting the tone for the new Premier League season.
The Italian giants endured a nightmare start when, in the fifth minute, Andrei Coubis turned a cross into his own net under pressure. Chelsea doubled their advantage just three minutes later, with João Pedro heading home a pinpoint delivery from Pedro Neto, taking his tally to five goals in as many matches for the Blues.
Milan’s evening worsened in the 18th minute as Coubis was shown a straight red card for pulling Pedro down inside the box, leaving the visitors a man down for the remainder of the match. Despite the disadvantage, Milan held firm for the rest of the first half.
After the restart, Chelsea’s youthful stars seized control. Liam Delap extended the lead from the penalty spot after Estevao was brought down in the area. Milan pulled one back through Youssouf Fofana, who beat Robert Sánchez with a low strike. But Delap restored Chelsea’s three-goal cushion with a composed finish late on, sealing both his brace and Chelsea’s emphatic victory.
Chelsea now head into their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace full of confidence, having gone unbeaten in pre-season under their current setup.
