Reece James steals spotlight to show why he is England’s right-hand man

Something sweet happened at the end of this light, fun, convincing 3-0 Chelsea victory against a blunt Milan. As the players hugged at the final whistle, speaking to each other behind their hands like underworld informers, the referee Danny Makkelie of the Netherlands declined Reece James’s offer of a handshake and instead went right in for a full embrace, clasping Chelsea’s right‑back to his bosom in the post-match lineup.

In the moment it just seemed entirely appropriate. Mainly because James was magnificent here, delivering a performance of stately, unruffled incision and total assurance in defence.

He touched the ball more than any other player on the pitch. He made one , scored one and did so while defending on the same side as Rafael Leão, a miracle of attacking thrust and drive, who, thankfully for Chelsea, appeared to be invisible to his teammates, who spent most of this game failing to pass to their sole attacking threat.

It has become a habit in recent weeks to fill any surplus dead air with endless chatter about one hyper-talented right-sided player who isn’t in Gareth Southgate’s utilitarian tactical plans. It has been easy to feel sympathy for Trent Alexander-Arnold in the middle of this, to sense that pressure building on him. But it is also pressure on James, the man in possession, whose own performances must now be hyper‑analysed, judged against the ghost-player, the perfect right-back of our imaginations.

Well, he certainly didn’t show it here. Chelsea’s third goal was a lovely moment, one for the highlights reel. The link with Raheem Sterling worked well all game. James made a run outside that demanded a pass. Sterling stroked the ball into his path. James took his time, waited, narrowed the sights,