James or Alexander-Arnold: Rio Ferdinand perfectly explains difference between them

Reece James was the star man as Chelsea recorded a hugely impressive 3-0 victory over Italian champions AC Milan.

Going into the Champions League group stage encounter, the Blues were in desperate need of three points to boost their chances of qualification to the knockout rounds.

Chelsea were beaten 1-0 away from by Dinamo Zagreb in their opening game, before being held to a 1-1 draw on home soil by Red Bull Salzburg.

But Graham Potter’s side were simply too good at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening, with James the scorer of the team’s third goal after strikes from summer signings Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – the latter of which was assisted by James.

It was a typically fantastic finish by the marauding right-wing back as well, who has quickly become one of the very best in the world at what he does.

The 22-year-old’s exploits in both the Premier League and Champions League in recent times have seen him leapfrog Liverpool‘s Trent Alexander-Arnold in the England pecking order.

James started both of the Three Lions’ UEFA Nations League matches against Italy and Germany in the September international break, which is a clear sign he’ll be handed the same responsibility at the Qatar World Cup.

And Rio Ferdinand’s superb analysis of James’ masterclass against Milan is all the proof we need that Southgate is right to side with the Chelsea man over Alexander-Arnold at this point in time.

Up against the full-back terroriser that is Rafael Leao, the London-born defender more than held his own and was able to perfectly mix attacking threat with defensive stability.

Check out Ferdinand’s analysis…

Rio Ferdinand analysing Reece James’s performance tonight