FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED from Chelsea’s preseason win over Club America

Chelsea didn’t make it easy for themselves, but they won their friendly against Club America 2-1.

Timo Werner opened the scorer for the Blues before ReeceJames scored an own goal. However, mason mountain came to save the day by scoring the winner.

Here, Sportsmail’s Mike Keegan looks at five things we learned from the encounter.

Chelsea didn’t take it easy, but they won their friendly against Club America 2-1. Sportsmail dives deep into the encounter

COMEDY NIGHT IN VEGAS

If you want to blooper, your best bet is to do so in a meaningless preseason test match thousands of miles from home. With Chelsea 1-0 and Cruising Reece James had plenty of time and no pressure. He passed the ball back to where he thought Marcus Bettinelli would be the third string stopper, but he wasn’t. The ball rolled into an empty goal to ridiculously restore par. Oops.

RAHEEM NOT SEEN

Those hoping to get a taste of Chelsea’s £47.5million man were disappointed when he wasn’t included in the squad. Manager Thomas Tuchel had said the game would come too soon for Sterling, explaining that the former Manchester City star has an “individual programme” with the rest of the squad “two weeks ahead of him”.

Those hoping to get a taste of Chelsea’s £47.5million man were disappointed when he wasn’t included in the squad

New comrade-in-arms Kalidou Koulibaly was another no-show. The £43million arrival from Napoli only arrived on Friday and could be another to bow at the next stop in Charlotte this week.

BATSHUAYI MISSING KILLER TOUCH

The Belgian has flattered himself to deceive since joining Chelsea in 2016 and in a lavish 45 minutes here showed little sign of change. A one-on-one down the flank was the worst miss of a string of scoring chances. He keeps getting into great positions and his movements are good, but the most important thing is missing.

The Belgian has flattered himself to deceive since joining Chelsea in 2016 and in a lavish 45 minutes here showed little sign of change

CHELSEA, NEVADA

Chelsea’s new owners believe the club has huge global potential that has yet to be fully realised. From the looks of it at Allegiant Stadium, they’re right. Despite its relative proximity to Mexico, there were as many blue shirts as Club America’s yellow.

The nearby Luxor Hotel (which looks like a pyramid) was awash with Chelsea shirts, many with names like “Iowa Blues” on the back, while a stroll down the Strip played to a London-tinged soundtrack. However, organizers may have been hoping for larger numbers at what appeared to be a half-full 65,000-seat venue.

WHO NEEDS RAPHINHA?

Thomas Tuchel was keen to use Leeds United’s goal at right-back but Kenedy offered glimpses of a solution here. The Brazilian zipped up and down the line, defending well and bringing a physical presence to the right. He was unlucky to put Chelsea ahead and it will be fascinating to see if the German continues the experiment in Charlotte. While Reece James will be the first choice, there may be a new option behind him.

Thomas Tuchel was keen to use Leeds United’s goal at right-back but Kenedy offered glimpses of a solution here

ALLEGIANT STADIUM – WOW

The 2024 Super Bowl venue is about to celebrate its second anniversary but looks like something from the future. Behind one end, huge panes of glass allow fans to see traffic on Interstate 15. Considering how boring this match was, it was a very welcome addition. Those who had the money watched the game from the outside suites behind the goal, which were furnished with sofas and booths – handy for a 90-minute sleep.