Mikel Shines In Chelsea Victory

Super Eagles midfielder, John Obi Mikel returned to action for Chelsea Saturday evening in a Pre-season tune-up game against Crystal Palace at the Selhurst Park.
The Catalyst missed the later part of the West London’s side Double winning campaign last term after sustaining a knee injury in the 2-1 loss to Tottenham Hotspur at the White Hart Lane.
He was later dropped by Nigeria manager Lar Lagerback from the World Cup squad and had to undergo surgery to get him ready for the new season.
Mikel alongside Ghana combative midfielder Michael Essien were the star attractions on  parade in the game with majority of Chelsea’s big names on vacation following their participation in the World Cup finals in South Africa.

Goalkeeper Petr Cech and defender Alex were the only other first teams to feature in a squad predominately made up of reserves and Youth team players, including 15-year old England school boy Nathanial Chalobah.
Essien scored the only goal of the game in the second half just after his introduction.
Last season’s Double winner continue their preparations for the defence of their Premier League title and the FA Cup next Friday against Ajax Amsterdam.
The Blues then conclude their pre-season plans with two fixture in Germany, taking  on Eintracht Frankfurt on August followed by a trip to Hamburg three days later.