Chelsea vs AC Milan player ratings: 8/10 duo James, Silva solid; Dest gets 3

Chelsea secured a comfortable win over AC Milan thanks to goals from Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Reece James.

Chelsea got their UEFA Champions League campaign back on track as Graham Potter experienced his first victory in the continental tournament. The Blues ensured they cruised to a comfortable win over AC Milan after goals from Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and Reece James sealed the three points.

Milan somewhat threatened Chelsea in the early minutes of the first half. But the hosts had it all under control. Chelsea tried to push their players forward to create chances, and their efforts soon paid off.

After a period of pressure resulted in a series of corners for Chelsea, Milan failed to mark Thiago Silva on each of those kicks. The Brazilian somehow found a shot on target during those corners, but the third one resulted in a penalty box scramble before Fofana bundled the ball into the net.

That piece of action was Fofana’s last of the game as the French defender hobbled off the pitch with a suspected knee injury. Chelsea also ensured Milan did not get a sniff at their goal as the half ended in favour of the Blues. In the second period, the hosts were more than able to control the proceedings.

With the hosts mounting pressure, former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori completely misjudged James’s cross into the box, with Aubameyang lurking in the background to make it 2-0. As the game progressed, James continued to find space on his side, resulting in another goal as the right-back smashed home from close range. Here are the player ratings from Chelsea’s 3-0 win over AC Milan.

Chelsea

Kepa Arrizabalaga: 6/10

Kepa was the quieter of the two goalkeepers, as his defence easily handled much of the pressure. He made an important save when the score was 1-0, but he has eased on with the game after that.

Wesley Fofana: 6/10

Fofana made his mark for Chelsea with a well-taken goal in the first half. Soon after, he hobbled off injured with a suspected knee problem, and Chelsea fans will be sweating to know the extent of the issue.

Thiago Silva: 8/10

Silva put in a commanding performance at the heart of Chelsea’s defence and was a great outlet on the other end. The veteran got three headers on target during a series of corners that Chelsea won. The third one resulted in a scramble leading to the opening goal.

Kalidou Koulibaly: 6/10

Koulibaly was needlessly aggressive in the opening exchanges. But as the game progressed, he composed himself. This outing was important for the Senegalese defender as he got his first good minutes under Potter.

Reece James: 8/10

Another of Chelsea’s top performers, James, found space on the right-hand side repeatedly. Those actions resulted in two goals as the right-back provided an assist and scored himself to seal a comfortable evening for Chelsea.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek: 7/10

Potter’s tweaking of his lineup worked as Loftus-Cheek put in a commanding performance from midfield. He was instrumental in keeping control of the area and progressing the ball to the forward zones and somehow got the assist for Fofana’s strike.

Mateo Kovacic: 6.5/10

Kovacic had moments in the game as he, alongside Loftus-Cheek, looked to gain control of the proceedings in midfield.

Ben Chilwell: 5.5/10

Chilwell had one of those unimportant displays as much of the action was happening on the opposite flank. Yet, he was composed on the ball and did not make any errors leading to opposition chances.

Raheem Sterling: 7/10

Sterling, the player to watch in our preview, played on the right flank and was a livewire throughout. While he still needs improvements in his displays inside the box, the English international did provide the assist for the third Chelsea goal.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang: 7/10

Aubameyang is slowly getting into his stride as Chelsea’s supposed main goalscorer. He did get his name on the scoresheet once more with a close-range finish from James’s cross in the second half.

Mason Mount: 7/10

Mount will be disappointed at having a goal disallowed, but he put in one of his important performances this season.

SUBSTITUTES

Trevoh Chalobah: 6/10

Chalobah came on for Fofana and put in measured performance. He may not have had the same impact as the Frenchman, but he did not commit any errors leading to chances.

Conor Gallagher: 6/10

Gallagher replaced Aubameyang in the second period and got more valuable minutes under his belt as Potter continued his experiment with the English international.

Jorginho: 5/10

Potter sent the experienced midfielder on for Kovacic as Chelsea looked to settle the game and keep the scoreline intact.

Kai Havertz: 5/10

Potter replaced his forwards to give some breathing room in the game and allow players like Havertz gain some minutes.

Armando Broja: 5/10

Broja replaced Sterling and did well in the final third as the clock winded down.

AC Milan

Ciprian Tatarusanu: 4/10

A poor performance from the stand-in AC Milan keeper, as he could not command his box well for the opener. Tatarusanu could have come and collected the James cross for the second but stood still behind.

Sergino Dest: 3/10

Dest put in a stinker as Chelsea wielded total control on his pitch side. He thoroughly struggled to cope with Mount’s threat and will have to reflect on his display at Stamford Bridge.

Pierre Kalulu: 5/10

Despite putting in some good displays domestically, Kalulu struggled with the quality of Chelsea’s forwards. He still proved to be Milan’s best defender on the evening.

Fikayo Tomori: 4/10

Not a happy return to Stamford Bridge for Tomori, who struggled to cope with the pressure laid down by the Chelsea forwards. The English defender was at fault for the second goal as he completely misjudged James’s cross, allowing Aubameyang an easy tap-in.

Fode Ballo-Toure: 3.5/10

Like Dest, Ballo-Toure struggled to keep ground on the opposite flank. He could not contain the pressure of Sterling and James, and his side led to the last two goals in the second half.

Ismael Bennacer: 3.5/10

Bennacer was the captain on the evening and put in a sub-par performance. Had he wielded some control, the game’s outcome might have been different. However, the likes of Loftus-Cheek and Kovacic ran the rule in midfield while the Algerian midfielder struggled for relevance.

Sandro Tonali: 4/10

Tonali was combative in his approach but struggled to gain any control of the central areas. He also sat very deep, and his qualities could have helped influence the proceedings further up the pitch.

Rade Krunic: 5/10

Krunic was one of Milan’s bright sparks in the game and should have equalised in first-half stoppage time.

Charles De Ketelaere: 5/10

De Ketelaere was decent in the first half but faded in the second period. He had a good chance saved by Kepa in the first half, but nothing he did was significant.

Rafael Leao: 5/10

Leao was one of the brightest sparks for Milan in the first half but was quiet in the second period. He did cause a few problems for James and Fofana in that time, but nothing that hurt Chelsea.

Olivier Giroud: 4/10

Another player with a disappointing display upon returning to Stamford Bridge. Giroud barely influenced the game, as he was barely fed with chances. As usual, he was superior in the air, but nothing noteworthy.

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SUBSTITUTES

Ante Rebic: 4/10

Stefano Pioli may think some tweaks could change the game’s outcome, but it was too late with substitutes like Rebic.

Matteo Gabbia: 5/10

Gabbia replaced Krunic as Pioli went for a defensive change to keep the score intact and not get hurt by more goals.

Brahim Diaz: 4/10

Diaz replaced Leao and barely had any impact on the game.

Divock Origi: 5/10

Did Milan look better on the frontline with the Belgian instead of Giroud? While the context of the game is different, Origi did provide some spark in the final third as compared to the former Chelsea man.

Tommaso Pobega: 5/10

Pobega was much better in midfield than Bennacer, who he replaced.