The six substitutions made just after the hour mark gave Chelsea’s Champions League win over Rennes a bit of an international friendly vibe – and this is very much how the second half felt as the Blues saw out a comfortable 3-0 victory over their 10-man opponents.
It was a game that was effectively ended on the stroke of half-time, as Tammy Abraham’s effort was judged to have struck the arm of Rennes full-back Dalbert. Timo Werner dispatched his second spot kick, Dalbert was shown a second yellow and Chelsea were cruising to victory.
Abraham wrapped up the win five minutes into the second period, stretching the Blues’ unbeaten run to 10 games – including three wins on the bounce.
It was not necessarily flashy, thrilling or out of your seat exciting. But it was polished, comfortable and convincing, as the pieces continue to slot into place for Frank Lampard’s new look side.
Most importantly, it was another clean sheet for Chelsea, their fifth in a row and the sixth in seven games for Edouard Mendy since his arrival from Rennes. Such a record would have been a far flung pipe dream a little over a month ago when the Blues were being carved open by newly promoted West Brom.
But the arrival of Mendy has added a layer of calmness to the Chelsea backline, the chaos encouraged by Kepa Arrizabalaga’s presence a distant memory.
Unsurprisingly, the 10 men of Rennes rarely threatened, allowing the Chelsea defence to show off their ability in possession. Thiago Silva was picking passes like a quarterback, a perfectly weighted cross field pass to get Reece James in behind in the second half the pick of the bunch.
James and Ben Chilwell impressed down either flank and were arguably Chelsea’s two most exciting players. The pair were encouraged to maraud forward at every given opportunity, with Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech drifting inside and Jorginho happy to sit and protect the back four impeccably.
With the array of attacking talent that Chelsea were already blessed with prior to the arrival of Ziyech and Werner, scoring goals was never going to be an issue for them this season. And it hasn’t been – 32 goals in 12 games thus far this term.
But the Blues have now gone more than seven hours without conceding, a run the club have not enjoyed at the back since the days of Petr Cech.
Chelsea fans will be thanking their former number one for the tip off, with Cech’s recommendation of Mendy said to be key in the recruitment of the Rennes goalkeeper.
He was not a spectacular or flashy signing, and this was not necessarily a flashy or spectacular performance from Chelsea. But it was just what they needed as Lampard’s side continue to settle and look more steady every time they set foot on the pitch.