Chelsea beat Fulham 2-0 at FedEx Field in Maryland to lift the Premier League Summer Series pre-season tournament trophy.
The Blues dominated the match as they opened the scoring in the 20th minute after Thiago Silva slotted in a Ben Chilwell cross.
Christopher Nkunku scored the second with a tap-in just before half-time after good work from Carney Chukwuemeka.
The match was played at the home of NFL team Washington Commanders.
Fulham on the other hand did not actually cause a threat to Chelsea, as they only had one chance from Calvin Bassey, who headed over from a corner in the second half.
Chelsea did have an issue as defender Trevoh Chalobah had to be substituted after receiving treatment for a knock on the pitch.
On the transfer market, the Blues have reached an agreement to sign defender Axel Disasi from AS Monaco for 45m euros (£38.57m).
This victory saw Chelsea win the first Premier League Summer Series – the pre-season tournament also featuring Aston Villa, Brighton, Brentford, and Newcastle – unbeaten.
Premier League Summer Series
The Premier League Summer Series is a pre-season friendly association football tournament hosted in the United States.
The competition was first announced in 2023 and is the second competition affiliated to the Premier League to be hosted outside England after the Premier League Asia Trophy.
The eight-day inaugural tournament was announced in April 2023 by Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters and took place between 22 and 30 July 2023 at the following stadia:
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia
- Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey
- Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida
- Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- FedExField in Landover, Maryland
The teams that participated in the first competition were Aston Villa, Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Chelsea, Fulham and Newcastle United.
Chelsea FC In The Pre-season
Following a disastrous last season that saw the Blues finish 12th in the Premier League, Mauricio Pochettino will be thankful for a respectable pre-season so far.
New signings Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson have hit the ground running, scoring goals against Brighton and Wrexham, as well as a draw against Newcastle.
New manager Pochettino will hope to get a better idea of what his best-starting eleven is in the coming weeks.
