A ruthless Celtic brushed aside Chelsea in a 4-1 thrashing at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday.

The Scottish champions scored twice in either half before Christopher Nkunku's consolation, with Enzo Maresca still without a win after his first two friendly games in charge of the Blues.

Matt O'Riley, who is being heavily linked with a move away from Celtic, put the Bhoys in front after 19 minutes before setting up Kyogo Furuhashi for a close-range tap-in just after the half-hour mark.

Kasper Schmeichel proved the difference for Celtic, making a string of fine saves in the first half to protect his clean sheet, though he got lucky as Raheem Sterling and Marc Guiu both struck the woodwork after the break.

Despite signs of life from Chelsea, they were masters of their own downfall for the third goal – Benoit Badiashile's loose pass out from the back went straight to Luis Palma, who pounced on the chance.

The Honduran then set fellow substitute Mikey Johnston up for a deft finish just three minutes later, though Chelsea salvaged some pride late on as Nkunku beat Vijami Sinisalo with an emphatic penalty, but it was too little, too late.

Data Debrief: Problems to solve for Maresca

While the scoreline certainly paints a picture of dominance by Celtic, the stats show that Chelsea matched their opponents out on the pitch, but lacked just one thing - a clinical edge.

The Blues created 23 chances, nine more than Celtic, and had 10 shots on target, though an inspired performance from Schmeichel certainly did not help.

As for Celtic, they round off their pre-season tour having scored four goals in both of their last two matches, having beaten Premier League champions Manchester City 4-3 earlier this week.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall believes new Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca will "surprise a lot of people" when they watch the Blues this season.

The Italian led Leicester City straight back to the Premier League as Championship winners in his only season in charge and succeeds Mauricio Pochettino at Stamford Bridge.

The Foxes topped the second division table with 98 points, with Dewsbury-Hall a key figure in his squad as he netted 12 goals and provided 14 assists last season – his best tally in a single campaign.

Dewsbury-Hall was also named Leicester's Player and Players' Player of the Year.

The midfielder made the switch to West London earlier this month for £30million and is confident that Maresca will have Chelsea challenging for trophies in no time.

"The manager was a big catalyst in wanting me to come," Dewsbury-Hall told BBC Sport.

"I knew from Leicester, a club that went down and had a lot of problems, how he managed to galvanise that if everyone manages to buy into the system.

"I genuinely think in a short space of time we can be pushing for minimum top four - but more than that.

"He may be unknown for a lot of people, but he is top, top level. He will surprise a lot of people."

Chelsea's pre-season got off to a frustrating start as they were held to a 2-2 draw by League One side Wrexham in Maresca's first game in charge on Wednesday.

Dewsbury-Hall did not play in that match but is training with the squad in the United States and could feature in their next outing against Celtic on Saturday.

The 25-year-old is confident the manager's tactics will come across soon, with the players buying into his style.

"We've only been doing it for two or three weeks, but the combination plays are really quick and tidy," he added.

"That's after two weeks. I remember he said to us at Leicester after six months or a year, there might be teething problems at the start, but it will improve.

"Within the first week at Leicester, I was convinced this was top, top level. I felt a bit stupid; I thought I knew a lot about football, but he was teaching me things on a daily basis that I didn't really know before. He has an aura, he can be strict, or gentle and soft - he has both sides.

"I am getting the same feedback here with the lads. They've bought into it here from minute one which is exciting. With a system and philosophy, you need everyone to buy in because, if they do, you can really achieve something."

Enzo Maresca accepted Chelsea are likely to concede goals through playing out from the back after they were held to a 2-2 draw by Wrexham in his first match in charge.

Chelsea took on the League One side – who are owned by Hollywood actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds – at the Levi's Stadium in San Francisco, fighting back from 2-1 down to claim a draw.

Christopher Nkunku put Chelsea ahead after 35 minutes, but two defensive errors from the Blues were punished in the second half as Luke Bolton and Jack Marriott netted for Wrexham.

Bolton turned home after Lesley Ugochukwu failed to cut out Seb Revan's cross, before Josh Acheampong's error led to Marriott giving Wrexham the lead with a low drive.

Ugochukwu levelled eight minutes from time as Chelsea avoided an upset, and Maresca refused to criticise his team for playing out from the back in a post-match interview.

"It is one of the risks that you have trying to build from behind," he said. "You are going to concede in different ways, so you need to decide in which way you need to concede a goal.

"Sometimes teams that try to build from the back concede goals, but I think you are going to score more than you concede.

"For sure, we did many things we can improve, but we started just two weeks ago. Tonight was important to start seeing the identity of the team and the identity is there."

Enzo Maresca does not foresee any issues in Chelsea's camp when Enzo Fernandez links up with the Blues' squad in the United States.

Fernandez is due to join Chelsea's squad for their pre-season tour on Monday.

That comes on the back of Fernandez issuing a public apology after he broadcast a video of Argentina's squad signing a song that includes lyrics that questioned the heritage of some French players.

Disciplinary proceedings have been opened up by Chelsea, but Maresca does not feel there will be problems when Fernandez, a big-money signing from Benfica in 2023, returns to the squad.

"It is quite easy in terms of the player [making] a statement to apologise. The club did the same, so I don't think there is something to add in terms of the situation. It is already clear and clarified," Maresca said.

"They are all human beings. I don't think there are any bad intentions from any of them.

"I don't think when Enzo is back that we will have any situations. Enzo clarified the situation, so there is nothing to add.

"They are not bad persons or human beings. It can happen but I don't think there are any problems at all."

Chelsea face Wrexham on Wednesday before taking on Celtic, Club America, Manchester City and Real Madrid to round out their U.S. tour, with a home friendly against Inter marking their final pre-season game.

Enzo Maresca has urged Chelsea's supporters to "trust the idea" and promised to instil an enterprising, aggressive style of play at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca led Leicester City to the Championship title last season before making the move to West London after Mauricio Pochettino's surprise departure.

Pochettino led Chelsea to a sixth-placed Premier League finish in his only campaign at the helm, also overseeing their penalty shoot-out defeat to Liverpool in February's EFL Cup final.

Despite an upturn in the second half of 2023-24, Pochettino failed to win over Chelsea's fanbase after the Todd Boehly regime sanctioned an outlay of around £390million (€464m) before the season began.

Maresca's Leicester were known for their progressive brand of football, ranking second in the Championship for possession share (62.3%) and successful passes (25,248) last term while leading the way for expected goals (85.8 xG).

On Monday, Maresca conducted his first interview with the Blues' website and pledged to bring the entertainment to Stamford Bridge.

"We are going to try to be an aggressive team on the ball and off the ball and we need to create this connection between the fans and the club," he said.

"When you have your own fans behind the team pushing, it's like playing with 12 players and this is what we have to create here.

"Trust the process, trust the idea, be behind the team. For sure we are going to enjoy the journey.

"Like at every club, for every manager, it will not be easy because nothing is easy. But for sure we are going to enjoy our journey."

Chelsea begin their 2024-25 Premier League campaign against champions Manchester City on August 18, before travelling to Wolves and hosting Crystal Palace before the season's first international break.

Manchester City will begin their Premier League title defence with a testing trip to play Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend.

Pep Guardiola's side have already won a historic four straight titles and will begin their pursuit of a fifth consecutive crown with a tough away match on Sunday August 18 against a team now managed by Enzo Maresca.

Man City have won their opening Premier League match in 12 of the last 13 seasons, though the exception was an away game in London when they lost 1-0 to Tottenham in 2021-22.

This will be the first time in 53 years that Chelsea have begun a top-flight campaign with a match against the reigning champions. They last did that in 1971, losing to Arsenal at Highbury.

The Premier League fixtures for 2024-25 were unveiled on Tuesday.

Arsenal narrowly missed out to Man City in each of the last two seasons and Mikel Arteta's men discovered they will start at home to Wolves on Saturday August 17.

It is Manchester United and Fulham who will open the season on Friday August 16, with the FA Cup holders playing at home in an evening fixture.

Arne Slot's tenure as Liverpool manager starts with a trip away to play promoted Ipswich Town, who return to the top flight after a 22-year absence, while play-off winners Southampton will face Newcastle United at St James' Park.

The opening weekend concludes on Monday August 19 as Leicester City host Tottenham in a difficult start to the Foxes' Premier League return.

There are some other notable matches taking place in the early weeks of the season, with Arsenal away to Aston Villa in the two teams' second match of the campaign.

The Gunners also have back-to-back away matches against Tottenham and Man City in September, meaning they will have had road games against three of the top five sides from last season inside the first five matchweeks.

Man Utd, meanwhile, are due to face Liverpool at Old Trafford on August 31 in the standout fixture of Matchday 3.

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer.

Tosin signed a four-year contract with the Blues, completing his medical earlier this week to become the first signing under new head coach Enzo Maresca.

The centre-back rejected a new contract earlier in this season, and Fulham announced on Tuesday that he would be leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the month.

Newcastle United and Manchester United were also in the race for his signature, but Tosin, who worked with Maresca at Manchester City in the past, decided on the switch to Chelsea, with the lure of European football supposedly drawing him to the club.

After joining the Blues, Tosin said: "Chelsea is a huge club and this is a full-circle moment for me. I was born three miles away from Stamford Bridge and made my professional debut there [for Manchester City].

"I'm here to win. I want to win. It's as simple as that really. I just want to keep working and pushing the team and the club in the direction we want to go in. I'm excited to get going."

Tosin made 132 appearances for Fulham in all competitions after joining in 2020, helping them win the Championship title in 2021-22.

The 26-year-old made 20 appearances for the Cottagers in the Premier League last season, scoring two goals.  

Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea's players "deserve great credit" in his first public statement since leaving Stamford Bridge.

The Argentine departed the Blues last month after just one season in charge, despite a strong end to the Premier League campaign helping secure a sixth-place finish and return to Europe.

Pochettino's youthful squad had a slow start to the season to reach the EFL Cup final and FA Cup semi-finals, while winning each of their last five league games.

However, a trophyless campaign led the 52-year-old to part company with the club by mutual contest, with former Leicester City boss Enzo Maresca named his successor earlier this week.

Nevertheless, Pochettino paid tribute to the squad in his first social media post since exiting the five-time Premier League champions.

"We know there have been ups and downs, but we always believed in this team and that we would arrive at a consistent level," he wrote on Instagram.

"They deserve great credit and I hope you felt that too in how they performed on the pitch. I believe the experiences of this season and big improvement we saw, I hope will only make the players stronger for the future."

Pochettino will be back at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, when he leads the World XI against England in the annual Soccer Aid charity match.

Enzo Maresca says it is a "dream" to be appointed as Chelsea’s new head coach.

Maresca has signed a five-year deal, as announced by Chelsea on Monday, with the option to extend for a further year.

He comes in as Mauricio Pochettino's replacement after the Argentinian left the club by mutual consent last month after just one season in charge.

In a statement on the club’s website, Maresca said: "To join Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, is a dream for any coach. It is why I am so excited by this opportunity.

"I look forward to working with a very talented group of players and staff to develop a team that continues the club's tradition of success and makes our fans proud."

He joins from Leicester City having guided them back to the top-flight as winners of the Championship at the first attempt last season.

Maresca is the Blues' fourth managerial appointment since Todd Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital bought the club in May 2022. 

Chelsea have announced the appointment of Enzo Maresca as the club's new head coach.

The former Leicester City boss has put pen to paper on a five-year deal, with the option for the club to extend his stay for another year.

Maresca replaces Mauricio Pochettino, who left Chelsea by mutual consent last month after just one season in charge.

The Italian oversaw Leicester's promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt in 2023-24, the Foxes topping the Championship table with 98 points.

In a statement, Chelsea's co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley said: "We are delighted to welcome Enzo to Chelsea. 

"He has proven himself to be an excellent coach capable of delivering impressive results with an exciting and identifiable style.

"Enzo has deeply impressed us in our discussions leading up to his appointment. His ambitions and work ethic align with those of the club. We thoroughly look forward to working with him."

Former midfielder Maresca, who was a two-time UEFA Cup winner with Sevilla, began his coaching career on the staff at Ascoli – then of Serie B – in 2017.

He then joined Manchester City in August 2020 as manager of their Elite Development Side, who he guided to the Premier League 2 title in his first season, before a six-month stint in charge of Parma.

Maresca returned to City in June 2022 as an assistant to Pep Guardiola, before replacing Dean Smith at Leicester 12 months later and subsequently guiding the former Premier League champions back into the top flight.

The 44-year-old, who becomes the eighth different Italian to manage Chelsea, will enjoy his first taste of European football as a coach next season. 

Although the Blues initially qualified for the Europa League having finished sixth in the Premier League, they dropped into the Europa Conference League following Manchester United's FA Cup final victory over Manchester City.

Jamie Vardy has challenged his Leicester City team-mates to reach 100 points after sealing the Championship title with one game to spare.

The Foxes were promoted back to the Premier League without kicking a ball after Leeds United’s 4-0 defeat to QPR on Friday, but they needed to win on Monday to earn top spot.

Enzo Maresca’s side cruised to a 3-0 victory over Preston through Vardy’s brace and Kasey McAteer’s header, moving them to 97 points.

With one last milestone in their reach, Vardy wants to make sure they end an already successful season on a high.

Speaking to Sky Sports, he said: “We can celebrate it tonight, but now we have another target which is 100 points.

“We are over the moon. It has gone by quick but it's a graft. Not many days off, I'll tell you that.

“The lads - they've given it all. Thoroughly deserved, and I'm glad we've had 5000 to come and celebrate with us. It's not like it's 20 minutes up the road."

After a run of just three victories from nine games in the league between mid-February and April, Leicester have now won each of their last three outings.

Maresca has praised his players for their hard work in what he labelled a “tough season”.

“Fantastic, it's been a fantastic season. The Championship is a tough season and very intense, but I'm very happy," said Maresca.

"Now it's time to enjoy the work of the season to bring this special club back to the Premier League. We deserve it.

“The last two days they have been fantastic. We got promoted, but it was difficult in game preparation. But we used all of today to prepare for the game, the morning and afternoon. It was good.”

Enzo Maresca praised his Leicester players for the 5-0 thrashing of Southampton that put the Foxes a win away from clinching automatic promotion.

Ghana winger Abdul Fatawu scored three of them, with Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy also on target.

Leicester need only to win at Preston on Monday, or at home to Blackburn on the final day, to make sure they will finish ahead of at least one of Leeds or Ipswich. Indeed, if Leeds lose at QPR on Friday Leicester will be up before they take to the field again.

Maresca, in his first season as City manager, said: “I don’t think that was the best performance of the season but the performance was fantastic, very good on and off the ball.

“We could have been better on the ball but we are all very happy because the opposition are a fantastic team.

“The good thing about tonight is that now we know that with one win we get promoted.

“It was a good feeling at the end, the fans have been fantastic.”

Fatawu, on loan from Sporting Lisbon, opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall played him through. The 20-year-old might have been offside but the flag stayed down. Southampton manager Russell Martin was also aggrieved that a challenge on Saints striker Che Adams by City defender Wout Faes was not given as a foul by referee Robert Madley.

The second half belonged to Leicester though, with Ndidi charging in to head home a cross from Stephy Mavididi to double the lead.

Fatawu struck again in the 75th minute when he accepted a pass from substitute Hamza Choudhury before smashing past goalkeeper Alex McCarthy.

Fatawu set up Vardy for a well-taken fourth and completed the rout with an emphatic finish after the former England striker returned the favour.

Maresca, however, joked: “I just said ‘next game you will be on the bench’ because with Abdul and young players especially, after three goals he is already thinking he is a top player.”

Saints – famously beaten 9-0 by Leicester in the Premier League in 2019 – must now pick themselves up for the play-offs barring an extraordinary combination of results and scorelines.

Martin made it clear he would not be doing that for them though, so disappointed was he with their capitulation.

“The players need to show a bit of love for each other and pick each other up, I’m fed up of doing that,” he said.

“They need to feel some pain – the same pain that I’m feeling right now.

“Rolling over like that, it’s actually pathetic, losing 5-0. They have to rally round as a group and show some care for each other.

“I did not like what I saw from my team one bit at 2-0 down. Self-preservation, our body language and people throwing their hands up in the air.

“It surprised me actually. What can you do? I told them I didn’t like it.

“I told them Che Adams is out of contract this summer and the one person who has the excuse if he didn’t really want to be all in and not work hard for his team, but he did that more than anyone. So it was inexcusable for anyone else not to do that.

“The fans were amazing, they were still clapping at the end and deserved better than that.”

The battle for automatic promotion from the Sky Bet Championship continues to intensify as Leeds moved into the top-two with a nail-biting win over Middlesbrough on Monday.

Leaders Leicester sit just two points ahead of third-placed Ipswich and the Foxes take on Southampton tonight, where defeat for fourth-placed Saints would all but end their automatic hopes.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look at the remaining weeks of an increasingly tense Championship run-in.

Leicester (1st, played 43, 91 points, +42 goal difference)

Run-in: Southampton (h), Preston (a), Blackburn (h).

Once seemingly certain to return to the top flight after a single season in the second tier – Enzo Maresca’s side were 17 points clear of Leeds – Leicester have suffered a crisis of confidence just at the wrong time.

A 2-1 home defeat by Middlesbrough on February 17 launched a run of 10 league games culminating in a 1-0 reverse at Plymouth which saw them lose six times and collect just 10 of the 30 points available.

However, a 2-1 victory over play-off chasing West Brom took them back to the top of the table and with two of their last three fixtures at the King Power Stadium, they will hope they can make home advantage count.

Leeds (2nd, played 44, 90 points, +43 goal difference)

Run-in: QPR (a), Southampton (h).

As with Leicester, Leeds have suffered a wobble at the most inopportune moment.

A 2-1 defeat at Coventry on April 6 was their first in the league since the turn of the year and, having seen Sunderland leave Elland Road with a point three days later, Daniel Farke’s men lost on home soil for the first time this season last Saturday when Sammie Szmodics fired Blackburn to victory in West Yorkshire.

But they came out on the right end of a seven-goal thriller in Teesside on Monday, claiming a 4-3 win over Middlesbrough that Farke will hope can be a springboard for their final two fixtures.

Ipswich (3rd, played 43, 89 points, +32 goal difference)

Run-in: Hull (a), Coventry (a), Huddersfield (h).

Ipswich’s unlikely tilt at back-to-back promotions has hit the buffers in recent weeks after a remarkable run of nine wins in 10 Championship outings was brought to an end by derby rivals Norwich.

A 1-0 defeat at Carrow Road on April 6 has been followed by home draws with Watford and Middlesbrough and Town must rediscover the form which earned manager Kieran McKenna the accolade of Championship Manager of the Season on Sunday evening if they are to reach the top flight.

However, all three of their remaining opponents still have something to play for, with Hull and Coventry on the fringes of the play-off race and Huddersfield battling desperately to avoid the drop.

Southampton (played 43, 84 points, +29 goal difference)

Run-in: Leicester (a), Stoke (h), Leeds (a).

Southampton’s bad patch arrived in February, when they lost to Bristol City, Hull and Millwall either side of a 2-0 success at West Brom in the space of 12 days.

A 3-0 win over Preston a week ago was their third in succession but despite taking the lead at Cardiff on Saturday, the Bluebirds claimed a last-gasp victory and Saints are now six points adrift of the top two.

How they fare against Leicester may go a long way to deciding their fate, while a visit to Leeds on the final day of the season promises to be a must-watch.

Leicester manager Enzo Maresca hailed Hamza Choudhury’s defensive heroics after his side beat West Brom 2-1 at the King Power Stadium to edge closer to promotion.

Maresca’s side moved back to the top of the Championship with goals from Wilfred Ndidi and Jamie Vardy, who missed a penalty in the first half.

Albion dominated the game but  midfielder Hamza Choudhury was the Foxes’ hero clearing off the line three times.

The visitors could only find the net once when captain Jed Wallace reduced the two-goal deficit for Carlos Corberan’s side with 14 minutes left.

Leicester were helped hugely by Choudhury’s inspired last-ditch defending and Maresca hailed his man-of-the-match performance.

Maresca said: “I’ve never seen three goal-line clearances from one player. He played as a goalkeeper at times.

“Hamza is probably the only guy whose contract we renewed this season. We made him one of the captains. With us, on the pitch and off the pitch, he has always been very good.

Maresca celebrated with his players at the final whistle, but says he knows the job is far from done.

The Italian coach said: “It was a crazy game. We need still two wins, now we have to look at the next game.

“Every time you win, you see yourself closer and you celebrate. But it’s not over, we have to finish the job. It was only 12 months ago that we were relegated, it’s not easy to come back.

“I just said to Carlos Corberan that we have been lucky in this game. And he said to me: ‘You have been lucky here, but in the last two games, you have been completely unlucky.’”

Albion’s play-off hopes remain in the balance after two successive defeats but Corberan says he is ready for the challenge with two games left.

The Spanish coach said: “It’s excellent! I love this pressure. I am preparing for this – I am ready to fight until the last minute of the last game. We’re in a good position to fight for that, I’m proud of what we’re doing.

“The play off is a step to promotion. There are amazing teams here, who have made a big financial investment, but we have two games to achieve the play offs. I don’t care whether we’re fifth or sixth. I want the most points we can achieve. That’s all I’m thinking about.”

Corberan admitted losing to Leicester, after having so much of the game, was hard to take, adding: “This was not a fair result, we did everything but put the ball in the net until late on.

“We created more chances than the best team in the division, and I’m proud of that. But I’ve never seen one player make three goal-line clearances before, that was hard to accept.”

Leicester returned to the top of the Championship with a 2-1 win over West Bromwich Albion and two more victories from their remaining three games would secure promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

Enzo Maresca’s side could go up on Tuesday if they beat Southampton at the King Power Stadium.

Jamie Vardy’s 15th league goal of the season effectively sealed the victory and made up for him missing a penalty in the first half.

Leicester took the lead through Wilfred Ndidi in the 22nd minute after Albion had dominated the early stages and missed a string of chances to take the lead.

West Brom manager Carlos Corberan will wonder how his side managed to squander so many oppportunities to score, and their second successive defeat means their play-off place is by no means certain.

They did eventually find the net through their captain, Jed Wallace, with 14 minutes left, but could not force an equaliser.

Leicester’s win owes much to central midfielder Hamza Choudhury who made three goal-line clearances – two of them coming within seconds of one another.

But with both teams recording a combined total of almost 30 shots, the game was partly a tale of the opportunities that were squandered.

West Brom could have had the match won inside the first 20 minutes. With Maresca’s team playing out from the back, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall passed the ball straight to Okay Yukuslu, but he put his hurried shot over the bar.

Mikey Johnston was then involved on three occasions, seeing an effort cleared off the line after 14 minutes. He then had a shot saved by Leicester keeper Mads Hermansen before putting another chance over the bar.

Leicester made Albion pay for their wastefulness in front of goal by taking the lead. Stephy Mavididi pulled the ball back for defender Wout Faes who crossed for Vardy. His header was kept out by Albion goalkeeper Alex Palmer but Ndidi converted the rebound from close range.

Maresca’s side looked set to take a two-goal advantage into the break. Vardy ran on to a long ball from Hermansen a minute before half-time and was pushed over by West Brom defender Conor Townsend in the 18 yard box. Vardy had scored four penalties from four this season, but he hit the post from his fifth spot kick of the campaign.

Choudhury then cleared off the line twice in the space of a few seconds after 51 minutes. First, he blocked a shot from Yann M’Vila and then denied Grady Diangana. The drama continued as, from the resulting corner, Kyle Bartley headed against the bar with Diangana unable to get the vital touch from close range.

Again, Albion were punished for missing their chances as Vardy increased Leicester’s lead after 65 minutes. Choudhury found Abdul Fatawu on the right and his cross was met by Vardy who headed in from close range.

West Brom finally found the net when defender Cedric Kipre’s inch-perfect pass found Wallace who slid the ball past Hermansen.