Enzo Maresca said he has challenged Cole Palmer to be more creative and "take initiative" after the England playmaker claimed he was "sick of going backwards or sideways" during the Conference League final in May.

Maresca fielded a relatively strong team against LAFC, with the likes of Reece James, Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson all starting. Liam Delap and Dario Essugo came off the bench to make their Chelsea debuts in the second half. The former grabbed a late assist, setting up Enzo Fernandez to make sure of the victory.