The Frenchman impressed on his return, contributing to Chelsea's attacking play with the second-most final third entries on the field for the Blues with six, only second to Enzo Fernandez (14).

Such numbers were indicative of Fofana's higher position on the pitch compared to centre-back partner Levi Colwill, who sat slightly deeper in defence.

And boss Enzo Maresca was happy with his side's improved attacking output, despite a failure to fully capitalise on an accumulative expected goals total of 2.27.

"The team is improving on the ball and off the ball. We created six or seven clear chances. It's important to create chances and then we want to score more," he said.

Fofana also played his part in Chelsea's defence off the ball. Despite not making any tackles, he made the most clearances (two) and interceptions (two) for the Blues.

"Off the ball, the team was very aggressive recovering most of the time on the ball. I'm very happy because we are improving," Maresca added.

Chelsea open their Premier League campaign against Manchester City on Sunday.