Chelsea 3:1 Real Sociedad in Club Friendly
Chelsea opened their summer schedule with a 3:1 victory over Real Sociedad in a Club Friendly on Friday. The match ended 3:1 after two early strikes from M. Rogers, a response from J. Aramburu, and Joao Pedro's double. It was the first of several warm-up games for both sides ahead of the new campaign. By then, the pattern had already been set.
Rogers fired in within the opening ten minutes, then added another almost immediately. Real Sociedad pushed back and J. Aramburu found the net just before half-time. Joao Pedro restored Chelsea's lead in the 47th minute and sealed the result with a second in the 77th. The hosts held a high line throughout and there is unrest in the dressing room at Sociedad — not from the result, but from how it came.
Chelsea made a cluster of changes around the 62nd minute, bringing on R. Sanchez, M. Rogers, R. James, M. Lacroix, L. Beitia and L. Sucic. Real Sociedad responded with Y. Herrera and T. Kubo. More substitutions followed in the 75th and 76th minutes, with M. Caicedo appearing twice and C. Palmer, M. Palestra, L. Colwill and P. Neto all entering the fray. The game opened up after the first break and the bench did most of the talking.
Chelsea dominated possession at 59 per cent and launched 91 attacks compared to 58 for their opponents. They registered 1.52 expected goals from five shots on target, while Sociedad managed 0.97 xG from four. The hosts created two big chances and completed 449 successful passes. Sociedad made 21 tackles and cleared 20 balls, but found a way through only occasionally. Shots accuracy sat at 33 per cent for Chelsea and 24 for Real Sociedad.
The scoreline reflected a comfortable evening for the Blues, who have not won since their pre-season opener but are in control of their preparation. Real Sociedad's recent form included a 4:2 win over Aston Villa and a 2:1 victory against Wolves, but this was a different story. The clean-sheet run came to an end for both sides, and the focus now shifts to the next fixture. The captain dragged them through it, but the result was never in doubt.
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