Pre Season: Wrexham hold Chelsea
Chelsea 2 - 2 Wrexham
Christopher Nkunku's first-half strike had given Chelsea the lead at Levi's Stadium before goals from Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott in the second period put Wrexham in front.
Lesley Ugochukwu equalised in the final ten minutes to ensure Chelsea's first game of their USA tour ended in a 2-2 draw.
A closer look at what happened
The match didn't begin in friendly fashion. Levi Colwill and James McClean narrowly avoided red cards following a clash just three minutes in.
In the second half, Chelsea's Ugochukwu lost possession and then failed to close down a cross from Sebastian Revan, allowing Luke Bolton to score the equaliser.
Chelsea youngster Josh Acheampong was caught out of position as Marriott exploited the space behind him, netting a well-struck second goal past Lucas Bergstrom.
Chelsea's equaliser came from a slick move involving substitutes Angelo Gabriel, Armando Broja, and Ugochukwu. The latter made amends for his earlier mistake by slotting in a fine left-footed finish to level the match.
Another new era for Chelsea begins
Chelsea are clearly starting the Maresca era with a style reminiscent of his Leicester City team, which won the Championship last season. Whether this will be a success at Stamford Bridge is another question.
Lauren, a Chelsea fan, gave us some details thoughts on how the match went for her. She said: "The first twenty minutes featured dull football, aside from a brief scuffle between Levi Colwill and former Premier League player James McClean. We were lucky to take the lead through a fortunate deflection following a corner.
"The second half started similarly to how the first ended, but a midfield turnover allowed Wrexham to score, capitalising on disorganised defending. Wrexham then exploited further defensive errors to score a second goal and nearly added a third. That was a huge concern for fans. In the final ten minutes, Chelsea we improved our play, securing an equaliser but couldn't find a winning goal."
Wrexham's Hollywood story goes on
For Wrexham, this match was a good opportunity for them to test themselves against Premier League opposition, even if it was a weakened and inexperienced side that represented the side from South London.
Click here to see how a revolution has developed at Wrexham.
