Chelsea ratings: Nkunku shows Pochettino he can be Blues’ main man but Enzo Fernandez horribly out of touch vs Fulham
CHELSEA coasted to a 2-0 victory over Fulham to win the Summer Series in the USA.
The win was the third of their pre-season as the Blues begin the run-in to the Premier League’s opening fixture.
A thumping Thiago Silva header and Christopher Nkunku tap-in was enough to seal the deal against a lacklustre Cottagers.
Previous results in Chelsea‘s pre-season have seen them thump Wrexham 5-0, enjoy a 4-3 thriller with Brighton and draw 1-1 with Newcastle.
Here’s how SunSport’s Tony Robertson rated the Blues in Maryland...
Gabriel Slonina – 6
Looked somewhat shaky at set pieces but generally handled himself well.
Malo Gusto – 6
Confident display from the young defender. Limited in his attacking capabilities due to Chilwell’s domineering display on the opposite flank.
Thiago Silva – 9
Netted a thumping header on the 20-minute mark to fire the Blues into the lead. Imperious in defence as Chelsea were rarely threatened in the first half.
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Bashir Humphreys – 7
Solid display from the defender. Didn’t put a foot wrong next to Silva.
Ben Chilwell – 8
Delivered a perfectly weighted corner for Silva’s opener. Appeared sharp when asked to defend and was dangerous going forward.
Enzo Fernandez – 3
Dispossessed and skipped past too easily on a number of occasions. Squandered a glorious chance to double the lead after being laid on by Nkunku.
Andrey Santos – 6
Tidy yet unremarkable display from the Brazilian whizkid. Kept things ticking over but failed to impose himself on the match the way he would have liked.
Raheem Sterling – 6
Picked up some nice positions to win the ball back from Fulham high up the pitch but otherwise a quiet day for the England international.
Carney Chukwuemeka – 7
A quiet display from the 19-year-old. Didn’t appear to really get into the game. But exploded when in final third with some silky footwork helping to create the second goal of the afternoon.
Christopher Nkunku – 8
Should have had an assist when he played in an onrushing Fernandez but the Argentine wasted the chance. Scored in the 41st minute after a cross-field pass to open scoring.
Mason Burstow – 5
Appeared to be a step or two out of sync with team-mates but was enthusiastic in his press. Unlikely to be pushing Nicolas Jackson for a first team spot at the start of the season.
Subs
Nicolas Jackson – 6 (On at half-time)
Lively straight away after coming on. Spooned a volley well wide on 72 minutes.
Marc Cucurella – 5 (On at half-time)
Beaten over the top a few times and lack of pace saw him caught out. Unremarkable on the ball but needed to be more cautious as Fulham grew into the game second half.
Reece James – 5 (On at half-time)
Far from his finest display. Was found wanting on defence but offered up some brilliant sprayed passes to the far wing more than once. Looked to still be searching for fitness.
Levi Colwill – 6 (On at half-time)
Like his predecessor’s he was relatively untroubled by Fulham’s limp attack. When he was worked he covered Cucurella excellemt
Trevor Chalobah – 6 (On at half-time)
Injured before getting a chance to really sink his teeth into the game.
Conor Gallagher – 6 (On at half-time)
Stung the palms of the Fulham goalie with an uncontested shot straight down the middle.
Cesare Casadei – 6 (On at half-time)
Showed a willingness to get stuck in.
Ian Maatsen – 6 (On at half-time)
Took up a wing position early on before moving inside behind Jackson. Minutes in the tank and was willing to try things but never saw them pull off.
Angelo Gabriel – 5 (On at 47 mins)
Feisty in the press but wasn’t afforded much time to strut his stuff on the ball. Being fouled while on the ball didn’t help him either.
Alfie Gilchrist – 6 (On 60 mins)
Replaced the injured Chalobah just 15 minutes into the half. Sweeped up well and was able to preserve the Blues clean sheet despite coming under more pressure.
Lewis Hall – 6 (On 61 mins)
Given 30 minutes to get some sharpness. Unable to dictate the play the way Nkunku did before him.
Lucas Bergstrom (GK) – 6 (On 61 mins)
Handling was solid when he came out for crosses. Allowed a couple of low passes across his area which could have resulted in worse results if a Fulham forward had been present.
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