Chelsea made an impressive start to their tour of the US by beating last season's UEFA Champions League finalists AC Milan 1-0.
The friendly, played in front of 26,000 supporters, also saw ?21 million signing Shaun Wright-Phillips make his Chelsea debut, and the lively winger proved to be an instant hit.
The Blues took the game to their illustrious opponents and Arjen Robben's solitary strike on 12 minutes was no more than they deserved.
The Dutchman struck a low 20-yard shot in off the post as Chelsea created a clutch of good first-half opportunities, and The Blues might have had a second but for a linesman's flag ruling out Eidur Gudjohnson's strike.
Milan's main threat came through Cafu down the right-hand side, but it was Chelsea's right-sided talisman Wright-Phillips who caught the imagination with a series of imaginative touches.
Robben reserved special praise for Wright-Phillips, saying: "His speed is unbelievable, he is a great player and I think he can be a good help for us this season."
Wright-Phillips revealed his own intentions, telling Sky Sports News after the game: "I just wanted to get them on the back foot so they didn't know whether to stick or twist and that's exactly what I did, really."
A marvellous debut was almost capped by a goal as a Carlton Cole run opened the way for Wright-Phillips to score, but he screwed his shot wide at the vital moment.
The second half proved to be less of a spectacle with Chelsea making eight changes, and the game ended with Milan down to ten men after Rino Gattuso saw red for upending Joe Cole.
Sky Sports
The friendly, played in front of 26,000 supporters, also saw ?21 million signing Shaun Wright-Phillips make his Chelsea debut, and the lively winger proved to be an instant hit.
The Blues took the game to their illustrious opponents and Arjen Robben's solitary strike on 12 minutes was no more than they deserved.
The Dutchman struck a low 20-yard shot in off the post as Chelsea created a clutch of good first-half opportunities, and The Blues might have had a second but for a linesman's flag ruling out Eidur Gudjohnson's strike.
Milan's main threat came through Cafu down the right-hand side, but it was Chelsea's right-sided talisman Wright-Phillips who caught the imagination with a series of imaginative touches.
Robben reserved special praise for Wright-Phillips, saying: "His speed is unbelievable, he is a great player and I think he can be a good help for us this season."
Wright-Phillips revealed his own intentions, telling Sky Sports News after the game: "I just wanted to get them on the back foot so they didn't know whether to stick or twist and that's exactly what I did, really."
A marvellous debut was almost capped by a goal as a Carlton Cole run opened the way for Wright-Phillips to score, but he screwed his shot wide at the vital moment.
The second half proved to be less of a spectacle with Chelsea making eight changes, and the game ended with Milan down to ten men after Rino Gattuso saw red for upending Joe Cole.
Sky Sports
