A late goal burst secured an impressive 5-0 demolition of Wrexham in M auricio Pochettino’s first game as Chelsea manager, with Christopher Nkunku among the scorers on his managerial debut.
In the club’s first preseason friendly in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Wednesday night, Ian Maatsen emerged as the unexpected hero. He scored twice in the opening period while playing for Pochettino’s starting lineup, which had an average age of just 19 players.
After only three minutes, Nicolas Jackson, a £31 million recent transfer from La Liga team Villarreal, provided a fine assist for Maatsen’s first goal, a low strike stroked past the hapless Ben Foster.
His second goal, which he scored from within the penalty area, was equally calm and was set up by a wonderful one-two with Carney Chukwuemeka.
In the final 20 minutes, Chelsea should have made it 3-0 when Raheem Sterling somehow missed a tempting back-post cross from Brazilian winger Angelo Gabriel, the team’s newest addition from Santos. Gabriel was another debutant for Chelsea.
Conor Gallagher squeaked a low shot home following a crazy run from Sterling, and French striker Nkunku, Chelsea’s most expensive summer acquisition to date at £53 million from RB Leipzig, slotted in after being identified by the outstanding Cesare Casadei, as they turned on the style late on.
Chelsea increased the League’s deficit to five. The last play of a one-sided match featured two newbies, whose Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney weren’t present at Kenan Memorial Stadium. Gabriel split the worn-out Wrexham defence with a precise ball, which Ben Chilwell expertly collected and scooped in.
1 thought on “Christopher Nkunku scores in his debut for Chelsea against Wrexham, and Mauricio Pochettino celebrates the opening-day victory.”