Ross Barkley's brace guides Chelsea to 3-0 win over New England Revolution in charity fixture

New York: England international Ross Barkley scored twice as Chelsea cruised to a 3-0 victory over the New England Revolution in a charity friendly at Foxborough on Wednesday.

Barkley calmly placed a low finish into the net after Pedro’s cross in the third minute to give Chelsea the lead. France striker Olivier Giroud then made it 2-0 for the Blues, nodding home David Zappacosta’s cross in the 29th minute.

The Premier League side completed the scoring in the 62nd minute when Gonzalo Higuain’s shot was diverted into the goal by Barkley.

The only sour note on a straightforward assignment for Chelsea came in the second half, when Ruben Loftus-Cheek limped out of the action with what appeared to be an ankle injury.

Wednesday’s game, which took place just three days after Chelsea concluded their gruelling Premier League campaign, was billed as the “Final Whistle On Hate” with funds raised going to organisations who combat hate crimes.

Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Revolution and New England Patriots NFL team, had joined forces with Chelsea’s Russian tycoon owner Roman Abramovich to arrange the match. A statement on Chelsea’s website said the game had raised $4 million for charities.