A pretty good five-a-side team
Graham Potter may have declared that Reece James is primed to become a Chelsea legend, but Stamford Bridge was home to a few more players who hold lofty positions across football's pantheon on Wednesday night. AC Milan giant Paolo Maldini was, of course, in attendance for the Group E match, given he holds the position of the technical director, but a few more were in the stands or on media duties to witness Chelsea's win.
Peter Schmeichel was around the press box with the former Manchester United stopper reporting from pitchside in a role for CBS. Alessandro Nesta could be seen greeting former teammate Thiago Silva ahead of the game and was also in attendance. That pair was joined by four-times Champions League winner Clarence Seedorf, who was working for Italian media.
Alongside him in the stands was an unadulterated Chelsea legend in the form of Gianfranco Zola, who, quite frankly, would just top off a very good five-a-side team.
READ MORE: Four things learned as Chelsea outclass Milan & Graham Potter unlocks Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang conversation
Chelsea's new striker has definitely started to settle in, having scored two goals in his last two games, but there is still plenty of learning to do on the pitch. The former Milan, Arsenal and Barcelona forward still hasn't had too much playing time with his forward teammates, but it doesn't feel like things are too far away.
The 33-year-old may have hoped to be picked out earlier on occasion by the likes of Ben Chilwell, but it appeared everything had fallen into place when Mason Mount lobbed the ball into the net. Raheem Sterling fed the ball into Aubameyang, and the striker played Mount through before the England international finished with aplomb. Unfortunately, Mount's run saw him just stay offside to see his effort ruled out.
The trio were not satisfied and took a moment to gather their thoughts after the effort, despite the narrowest of margins only denying them the goal. A sign that there is more to come from the trio.
The first half also saw Graham Potter take the opportunity to have an in-depth conversation with Aubameyang in a bid to adjust his movement as he struggled to avoid being isolated in the early stages. The striker showed in the second half he had the quality to time his run and produced a clinical finish as he watched Fikayo Tomori miss Reece James' cross before tapping in a simple finish to double Chelsea's lead.
What Ben Chilwell did following Wesley Fofana's injury
It was unfortunate to see Fofana have to leave the field following his injury, and clearly, it is one that Potter is concerned about. The Frenchman had an uncertain start to his night but built into the game as he opened the scoring for Chelsea and cruelly had the rest of the evening taken away from him.
While play initially stopped for Fofana to be treated, the young defender attempted to continue before succumbing to the injury. With the former Leicester star back on the floor, it was Milan boss Stefano Pioli that encouraged his team to play the ball out of play to ensure he could be replaced by Trevoh Chalobah.
It was a move Ben Chilwell, who was on the flank by the coach's technical area, appreciated the gesture more than most and had a conversation with his adversary before engaging in a significant embrace and smile to show his appreciation for the move.
Reece James embraces Fikayo Tomori
There were plenty of familiar faces for both sides at Stamford Bridge, with Fikayo Tomori, Olivier Giroud, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Thiago Silva all having represented both teams.
It felt particularly poignant for Cobham product Tomori to return to west London, however, particularly off the back of winning a Serie A title. The 24-year-old was clearly a mature figure in the Milan backline and started the game strongly while taking the role of Pioli's general on the pitch, relaying information from the Milan coach.
The former Blue certainly seemed a senior part of a depleted Milan, but unfortunately for him could only misjudge James' second-half cross that allowed Aubameyang in, and he had a more difficult time as Chelsea pressed on in the second half.
Nevertheless, he was greeted by his former teammates at full-time and saw embraces from fellow Cobham products. James, in particular, seemed to hug Tomori with significant vigour to show that it was more than just a meaningless embrace.
A nice moment with seven players from Chelsea's academy making their way onto the pitch for the match.
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