Frank Lampard kicked off his reign as Chelsea manager with a draw to Bohemians in Dublin.
The Blues were held to a 1-1 draw at a rain-soaked Dalymount Park in the Irish capital as Michy Batshuayi’s first-half opener was cancelled out by trialist Eric Molloy’s strike a minute from time.
Lampard fielded a squad made up of the 22 players who flew out to Ireland last Friday and there were plenty of youngsters on show, with two different XIs playing in each half.
However, crucially the likes of Danny Drinkwater and Batshuayi were also given the chance to shine from the start.
The 3,800-seater Dalymount Park was hardly the most glamorous location for Lampard to make his Chelsea bow, certainly when you consider his first competitive game is at Old Trafford against Manchester United.
However, that didn’t look to matter as the Blues found their groove early on and took the lead inside eight minutes when Batshuayi lashed home from eight yards.
Chelsea continued to dominate the first-half and Ethan Ampadu was particularly impressive in the middle of the park.
Leading 1-0 at half-time, Lampard made 11 changes at the break as more players were given their chance to shine.
On came the likes of midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and defender Kurt Zouma, who were both looking to impress after loans last season.
They were joined by highly-rated youngsters like midfielders Lewis Baker and Billy Gilmour - with the latter looking impressive during his 45-minute run-out.
Chelsea controlled the start of the second-half and looked as though they would add to their lead, but Bohemians grabbed an 89th-minute equaliser through Molloy.
