9 months ago
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MYKHAILO MUDRYK got his Chelsea career up and running with his first goal for the club in the 4-3 win over Brighton.
The Ukraine international has struggled to find his feet for the Blues since arriving from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88m in January.
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GettyBut he is finally off the mark with a fizzing second half volley to make it two wins from two for new boss Mauricio Pochettino in the United States.
Danny Welbeck had given Brighton the lead early on before £52m new-boy Christopher Nkunku levelled with his second goal of the tour.
A rash second yellow card for Seagulls defender Jan Paul van Hecke on the hour mark then opened the floodgates for the West Londoners, in front of over 65,000 fans in Philadelphia.
Mudryk volleyed a powerful effort in from 18 yards, Conor Gallagher grabbed a third and Nicolas Jackson raced through on goal to add a fourth – also his first for Chelsea.
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Joao Pedro and Deniz Undav reduced the scoreline late on.
Here’s how SunSport’s Jordan Davies rated Chelsea’s performances…
Kepa Arrizabalaga – 6
Distribution with his feet left a lot to be desired, and will be unhappy to concede three goals on his first pre-season outing
Malo Gusto – 5
Skinned on several occasions by Kaoru Mitoma in the first half. Does not look to be at the required level for now.
Thiago Silva – 7
Still at the age of 38, the Brazilian remains an essential part of this Chelsea side. His tactical awareness is unrivalled.
Levi Colwill – 6
Composed and solid, until giving away a cheap penalty for a clip on Pedro. No wonder Brighton want him back, and no wonder Chelsea want to keep him at all costs.
Ben Chilwell – 8
GettySurging runs forward down the left would have impressed Pochettino. He looks as fit as he has ever been for Chelsea.
Conor Gallagher – 6
Struggled at times with the fluidity of Brighton’s midfield and picking up runners, but stuck at it and made a crucial block to deny Welbeck in the second half.
Andrey Santos – 7
Another tidy performance from the 19-year-old in the middle of the pitch. He really has a chance to break into this side.
Raheem Sterling – 6
Looked lively down the right and his delivery was on point but for some suspect finishing, especially in the second half.
Carney Chukwuemeka – 7
A real surprise package during this tour. Pochettino clearly has trust in his ability and his consistent output should earn him more starts.
Ian Maatsen – 6
His future is still unclear, but games like this will do him no harm. Raw, and needs elite coaching to further his development. Maybe Pochettino is that coach?
Christopher Nkunku – 8
Another game, another goal. Looks composed in the box and provides the link-up that Pochettino craves from a front man.
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Mykhailo Mudryk (Maatsen 45) – 8
Looked determined to show off his talents and did not disappoint. His pace was frightening and his finish was lethal.
Marc Cucurella (Chilwell 45) – 6
Does not possess the same raw pace and ability to get up and down like Chilwell but does a job when needed
Trevoh Chalobah (Silva 45) – 6
Did not have a lot to do but is proving to be a favourite of Poch when it comes to reliability at the back.
Cesare Casadei (Chukwuemeka 45) – 7
Is still quite clumsy in possession but there is certainly a talent in there. He is one good pass away from creating goal scoring chances.
Angelo (Sterling 63) – 6
Did not impose himself out on the right, and was overshadowed by other impressive performances from his team-mates.
Nicolas Jackson (Nkunku 63) – 9
A simply stupendous substitute appearance. Set up Mudryk’s goal and then got in on the act with a cool finish of his own.
Enzo Fernandez (Santos 63) – 6
A slow start to his pre-season but Poch will be pleased he has got some minutes under his belt.
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