Chelsea moved top of Group E in the Champions League on Tuesday thanks to a 2-0 win over AC Milan at the San Siro.
Jorginho and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got the goals for Graham Potter’s side while former Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori saw red for the hosts.
The first big moment of the match was a game changer. In the 18th minute Tomori was adjudged to have pulled Mason Mount back in the area, the referee pointed to the spot for a penalty to Chelsea and sent Tomori off in the process. Jorginho dispatched his penalty with ease to put Chelsea 1-0 up.
From then on it was an uphill battle for Milan. The referee continued to slow things down, regularly blowing for fouls and dishing out yellow card after yellow card, ideal for Chelsea but frustrating for Milan. In total, the referee shown nine yellow cards and one red.
Chelsea then doubled their lead after 35 minutes, Aubameyang expertly finishing off a sweeping Chelsea move to give the hosts no way back.
It wasn’t quite the perfect night for Chelsea however, as the superb Reece James went down following a tackle on Theo Hernandez. The full-back tried to continue but minutes later he was substituted off. The good news for Chelsea and England fans is that he walked off, even though he did look to be in some discomfort.
The second half was much of the same as Chelsea controlled the match, putting on a clinic in how to play against 10 men. They knocked the ball about with confidence, stretching the pitch and limiting Milan to very little. In the end, Milan ended the match with just one shot on target.
Chelsea go top of Group E with this win, one point ahead of Salzburg, and are in a very strong position going into their last two matches.
TALKING POINT – TOMORI’S RED
A real game-changing moment if there ever was one. Milan could perhaps have handled going 1-0 down, but to go 1-0 down and lose a man after just 18 minutes realistically killed off their hopes. It felt from that moment on like it was a damage limitation job and although they limited Chelsea to just two goals, they could very rarely threaten at the other end to give themselves even a slither of hope.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH – MASON MOUNT (CHELSEA)
It’s very rare to see a player win the Player of the Match award after only playing one half, but that is just how good Mount was in the first period for Chelsea. He won the penalty which Aubameyang converted before providing the assist for Chelsea’s second with a clever pass. It wasn’t just his goal contributions though, his movement, passing and general play in the first half was superb. He played with a fantastic tempo and was constantly looking to move his side further up the pitch. He was taken off by Potter simply to wrap him up in cotton wool, a testament to how important the manager deems Mount to be.
PLAYER RATINGS
AC Milan: Tatarusanu 6, Kalulu 6, Gabbia 6, Tomori N/A, Hernandez 6, Bennacer 6, Tonali 6, Diaz 5, Krunic 6, Leao 6, Giroud 6
Subs: Ballo-Toure 6, Dest 6, Pobega 6, Origi 6, Rebic 6
Chelsea: Kepa 7, Koulibaly 7, Silva 7, Chalobah 7, James 7, Kovacic 7, Jorginho 8, Chilwell 7, Mount 8, Sterling 6, Aubameyang 7
Subs: Havertz 6, Gallagher 7, Loftus-Cheek 6, Azpilicueta 7, Curucella N/A
HIGHLIGHTS
18′ PENALTY TO CHELSEA AND RED CARD FOR MILAN! – Fikayo Tomori is adjudged to have pulled the shirt of Mason Mount as he charged into the box and the referee has given a penalty and a red card to Tomori!
20′ GOAL FOR CHELSEA! – Jorginho converts from the spot to put Chelsea 1-0 up in Milan! He had to wait a long time to take that but he makes no mistake!
34′ GOAL FOR CHELSEA! – Aubameyang finishes off a very slick Chelsea move! Mount plays it into the path of Sterling who leaves it for Aubameyang to slot home into the bottom corner.
43′ SO CLOSE TO 3-0! – Mason Mount fizzes a brilliant effort but it’s tipped round for a corner by the Milan goalkeeper. Mount has been outstanding this half.
49′ JUST WIDE! – Gallagher is slipped in by Chalobah who rounds the goalkeeper before smashing it into the side netting. So close to his first Champions League goal.
62′ SUBSTITUTION FOR CHELSEA – Reece James is off for Cesar Azpilicueta, he decided to give it a go following an innocuous landing but he cannot continue.
