Antonio Rudiger Returns & Michy Batshuayi Shines as Chelsea Under-23s Thump Liverpool

​Chelsea Under-23s picked up a convincing 3-0 win over Liverpool Under-23s on Monday evening, largely thanks to hugely impressive performances from both Antonio Rudiger and Michy Batshuayi.

Rudiger had been sidelined since the 1-1 draw with Manchester United in April, in which he picked up a nasty knee injury which required surgery.

Antonio Rudiger,Curtis Jones

However, he made his long-awaited return to action at Stamford Bridge, playing the full 90 minutes against ​Liverpool and forming an impressive partnership with young Marc Guehi in defence.

Whilst it was hardly the toughest of tests for ​Rudiger, he still had to deal with the highly rated pairing of Rhian Brewster and Harvey Elliott, and he certainly did so with ease.

First-team manager Frank Lampard was in attendance, and he will likely have been delighted with what he saw from ​Rudiger, who could soon make his return for the senior side after proving his fitness with the developmental squad.

It was Rudiger's delightful long ball which allowed ​Batshuayi to open the scoring with a fantastic chipped effort, although a glaring error from Liverpool shot stopper Caoimhin Kelleher certainly made things easier for the Belgian.


Batshuayi was looking to get some minutes under his belt after being omitted from ​Chelsea's squad for their opening games of the ​Premier League campaign, and will have certainly given Lampard plenty to think about.


His positioning was on show for his second goal of the night. After some fantastic play from exciting youngsters Juan Castillo and Timo Anjorin, the ball found its way to Batshuayi in the box, who fired home to give Chelsea a commanding lead.

Michy Batshuayi

To return the favour, Batshuayi then set up Anjorin, who embarked on a stunning solo run to net Chelsea's third and cap off what was a commanding performance from the Blues.


Lampard will have been delighted to see both Rudiger and Batshuayi get 90 minutes of action, but he will also have been hugely impressed with central midfielder Billy Gilmour and right-back Tariq Lamptey - both of whom could be knocking on the door of the senior side soon.


Source : 90min