Chelsea got their Champions League campaign back on track in emphatic fashion as they brushed aside AC Milan with a 3-0 win at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues went into the match bottom of Group E with only a single point from their opening two group-stage matches, putting their qualification hopes in doubt ahead of back-to-back fixtures against last season’s Serie A champions.
But the visitors barely laid a glove on Chelsea in west London, with Wesley Fofana netting his first goal for the club to put the hosts ahead at half-time. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Reece James added their names to the scoresheet after the break, as the Blues moved up to second in the group and just a point behind RB Salzburg.
Graham Potter opted to once again start Kepa Arrizabalaga in goal, despite Edouard Mendy’s return from injury, while Kalidou Koulibaly made his first start under the Chelsea boss.
Milan started the more confident of the two sides, knocking the ball around comfortably, but there was very little in the way of clear-cut chances beyond an early curling effort from Mason Mount that was turned behind.
A flurry of set-pieces brought the opening goal, Thiago Silva taking full advantage of the strange decision from Milan to have Ismael Bennacer marking him. The Brazilian had two free headers in barely more than a minute, one saved and another blocked, and a third soon followed. It was parried out into the six-yard box, a scramble followed and the ball eventually fell for Fofana to pass into the bottom corner.
Mount had the ball in the back of the net with a wonderful lobbed finish, only for the offside flag to swiftly be raised, before Chelsea suffered a real blow as Fofana limped off with a knee injury.
Milan’s best moment came in the dying seconds of the half, Rafael Leao skipping past the Chelsea defenders at will as he had for much of the half. Charles De Ketelaere’s effort was saved, and Rade Krunic could not turn home the rebound.
After a low-key start to the second-half, Chelsea got the second goal their performance, and Milan’s, deserved. James clipped a cross into the box, Fikayo Tomori was unable to cut it out and Aubameyang was completely free for a simple finish in the middle.
Five minutes later the lead was three goals, as the Milan defence continued to fold. They were caught playing out from the back, Sterling slid it through to James and he hammered a finish in at the near post in ruthless fashion, putting the match to bed as Chelsea made a big statement ahead of the trip to the San Siro next week.
