“best defence”; Watch strong defensive performance of Kalidou Koulibaly first Chelsea debut against Arsenal in USA
Chelsea got their first glimpse of their new signing, who after finally being introduced was a bright spark in an unimpressive performance for Tuchel’s side. The 31-year-old showed his pace, beating Pepe before winning the ball and out-muscling the Ivorian. A sliding tackle denied Pepe from close range, with Koulibaly showing his class early on. Was booked in the last minute for a last challenge
Didn’t have long to make his mark, but one outstanding block to deny Eddie Nketiah ensured Koulibaly caught the eye. He also produced one nice pass forward for Batshuayi.
Chelsea suffered a 4-0 defeat by rivals Arsenal in Orlando, leading to an inquest about their dismal display. Watch Match highlights
Arsenal were ahead on the 15 minute mark following a misplaced pass from Trevoh Chalobah. Gabriel Jesus was found in acres of space before chipping over Edouard Mendy to put the Gunners infront.
10 minutes before half-time, Arsenal found themselves two ahead as Gabriel Martinelli found Martin Odegaard, who finished with a low left-footed strike.
Just after the hour mark, Arsenal made it three despite Mendy’s best efforts. A double save from Martinelli and Xhaka saw the goalkeeper do his best to keep the scoreline at 2-0 but a rebound saw Bukayo Saka convert as the scoreline became embarrassing.
Gabriel Jesus, Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Albert Sambi Lokonga all scored for Mikel Arteta’s side in a match that threatened to be a rout by half-time.
Chelsea regained some control by switching formation in the second half and through bringing on Kalidou Koulibaly for his debut, but still conceded twice more with the Gunners bombarding their goal.
They posed little threat going forward with Aaron Ramsdale not making a save in front of a record 63,811 supporters.
Despite only being on the pitch for a short time, he produced two great defensive actions. One was a rapid recovery run to dispossess Nicolas Pepe, who ran in behind. The second was a last-ditch block on the same player when he was through on goal.
Advertisement
Did you think Kalidou Koulibaly will be better than Antonio Rudiger that depart Chelsea to Real Madrid? Use the comments section to drop your opinion
Advertisement