Chelsea continued their preseason schedule on Friday night by defeating Udinese 3-1.
Following last weekend’s 4-0 loss to Arsenal, head coach Thomas Tuchel did not hold back in criticising the calibre of play from his players.
Eight days before the start of their Premier League season, that humiliation in Florida occurred with only a trip to the Dacia Arena left on their schedule, making an improvement in performance even more necessary.
N’Golo Kante, Raheem Sterling, and Mason Mount scored goals for Chelsea against the Serie A team, giving them a well-deserved victory.
Before the Premier League team finally took the lead at the 20-minute mark, they had already made threats through Sterling and Mount.
Kante was given space to advance toward goal without any resistance from the home team’s defence, and the Frenchman then used his weaker left foot to blast a low shot from the edge of the area into the far corner.
Chelsea 3-1 Udinese:
Mason Mount’s close-range attempt to score a second was stopped by Chelsea as they continued to dominate, but it took only a short while for Sterling to double his team’s advantage.
The summer signing struggled after collecting a through pass because of a heavy touch, but goalkeeper Marco Silvestri’s save bounced off his leg and went in the net.
Udinese, though, re-entered the contest before the break. Gerard Deulofeu scored on the rebound after Edouard Mendy only managed to deflect a long-range shot into his path.
Following the restart, both teams had opportunities, with Isaac Success missing one for Udinese before Sterling’s deflected drive struck the woodwork.
However, following a flurry of substitutions, Mount was in the correct place to score from close range after Callum Hudson-ideal Odoi’s low cross, giving Chelsea the victory in the final minute.
Tuchel will be thinking ahead to Chelsea’s domestic debut against Everton next weekend even though the rest of the visiting team will play in a friendly behind closed doors on Saturday.
The new season is on the verge as the Premier League will be back from 5th August on Friday. While the Blues will travel to Goodison Park to kick-off their new campaign.
For more Sports updates please follow us on Twitter
