Soccer-Chelsea warm up for Premier League restart with big win over QPR

Chelsea midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Billy Gilmour scored twice each in a 7-1 friendly win over Queens Park Rangers on Sunday as Frank Lampard's side stepped up their preparations for the Premier League restart.

Chelsea midfielders Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Billy Gilmour scored twice each in a 7-1 friendly win over Queens Park Rangers on Sunday as Frank Lampard's side stepped up their preparations for the Premier League restart. Mason Mount, Willian and Olivier Giroud also got on the scoresheet as Chelsea improved on a 1-0 victory over Reading in a similar warm-up friendly last week.

French midfielder N'Golo Kante, who made a return to full contact training on Tuesday after expressing concerns over his safety due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, started the game against Championship (second-tier) side QPR. Lampard's side are fourth in the league with 48 points from 29 games ahead of the resumption of the season on Wednesday following the COVID-19 disruption.

Chelsea are scheduled to face Aston Villa away next Sunday in their first game back.