Jérémie Boga makes thrilling impression on Antonio Conte as Chelsea beat Arsenal in China

KEY POINTS

The 20-year-old winger impressed after replacing the injured Pedro.
The Premier League champions cruised to a 3-0 win in Beijing.

Chelsea starlet Jérémie Boga made a compelling case to Antonio Conte to keep him at Stamford Bridge this season with a sparkling display in a comfortable victory over Arsenal in Beijing.

In a repeat of last season's FA Cup final and just over two weeks until their Community Shield clash, the London rivals met in a pre-season friendly in the Chinese capital on Saturday (22 July).

After 29 minutes, Boga, who spent last season on loan in Spain with Granada, was called from the bench to replace Pedro, who was taken off after a nasty collision with Gunners goalkeeper David Ospina.

Goals from Willian and Michy Batshuayi put the Premier League champions two up before half-time against a rusty Arsenal side before the Belgium international doubled his tally with an exquisite strike from the edge of the box.

But 20-year-old winger Boga also took his chance to make an impression on his manager with a fearless performance. The youngster was arguably Chelsea's brightest performer in the second half after Conte had made a raft of changes, constantly driving his side up-field as the Gunners slowly woke up in the second half and began taking the greater share of possession.

Boga thrilled Blues fans watching on with one delightful piece of skill that left Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey twisting in the wind while also racking up slick nutmegs on both Sead Kolasinac and Francis Coquelin as Arsene Wenger's side struggled to contain him.

Six players have already left Chelsea on loan this summer including Kurt Zouma and Ola Aina with plenty more expected to be sent out to secure greater first-team chances for the coming 2017-18 campaign. Andreas Christensen, who has returned to the club following two excellent seasons on loan at Borussia Monchengladbach, and Belgian talent Charly Musonda are among those hoping to convince Conte of a squad role. Boga, who is yet to make his senior appearance at the club since arriving in 2015, will also be hoping for that big break.