Jordan Pickford couldn’t help but hold his gloved hands up in appreciation for Chelsea gem Mason Mount’s execution in England training recently.
Mount was captured by the behind-closed-door cameras slotting several shots past Pickford with inuring accuracy.
His last strike, a left-footed effort into the bottom corner, had the Everton goalkeeper stranded.
Quality usually recognises quality, so Pickford simply had to stand back and admire the attempt.
“What a finish that is by the way,” admitted the Toffees no.1.
It cannot be an enjoyable job for England’s keeper to face the likes of Mount, Harry Kane, Raheem Sterling and the rest whenever they link up for national team duty.
Even Reece James proved he can pack a punch, following on from his golden goal away to Arsenal.
Ironically for Chelsea, it was this precise finishing that actually let them down last season.
None of Frank Lampard or Thomas Tuchel’s squad managed to score more than 12 times throughout the previous campaign.
Jorginho ended as the top marksmen in the Premier League with seven, Mount just one behind on six.
Romelu Lukaku’s return is meant to change the complexion of Chelsea’s attack.
He is already off the mark, once again thanking Arsenal for the gift.
But Tuchel will demand more from all of his players in the final third.
Looking particularly in the direction of Timo Werner, who needs to restore the form that made him such a menace at RB Leipzig.
Kai Havertz could also do with adding to his tally, having managed nine across all competitions in 2020/21.
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