Chelsea's youngsters enjoyed a solid first half before the veterans sealed things in the second as the Blues dispatched Wrexham 5-0 in their first pre-season contest in North Carolina. Mauricio Pochettino's side will face tougher tests going forward, but this was certainly an encouraging first display under the new boss.
Winger Ian Maatsen opened the scoring after a surging run from summer signing Nico Jackson, who evaded three defenders before feeding the Dutchman for an easy close-range finish, and Maatsen scored again late in the first half following a lay-off from Carney Chukwuemeka. Wrexham, for their part, had some moments, but failed to register a shot on target despite extended spells of pressure in the first half.
Pochettino made a glut of changes at the break, introducing the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell, and though they took their time, the new faces eventually helped Chelsea pull away. Conor Gallagher was first to get on the scoresheet, making it 3-0 with a neat side-footed finish from the edge of the box with 15 minutes remaining. Then Nkunku had his moment, scoring Chelsea's fourth, before a fine chip from Chilwell rounded off the scoring with the last kick of the game.
Pochetinno's new-look Blues didn't always have control here, and there will certainly be further changes to the squad in the weeks to come. But with youngsters staking their claim and veterans having an impact, the new manager won't have too many complaints.
GOAL looks at what we learned during the clash at Kenan Memorial Stadium...
