However, Gary Cahill pounced in the closing minutes with a leaping header to equalise, before Loic Remy struck the winning penalty in the shootout to seal the victory.

Here, Sports Mole reviews all the action from an entertaining friendly in Maryland.

Match statistics

CHELSEA
Shots: 9
On target: 4
Possession: 31%
Corners: 2
Fouls: 13

BARCELONA
Shots: 18
On target: 6
Possession: 69%
Corners: 7
Fouls: 14

Was the result fair?

By virtue of the stats, Barcelona were arguably the better team throughout the 90 minutes. However, Luis Enrique's side did not fashion enough goalscoring chances to win the contest in regulation, with a mistake from goalkeeper Jordi Masip then costing them victory in the dying minutes. Not taking into consideration the shootout, neither side deserved to lose. The draw was fair.

Chelsea's performance

Having lost to New York Red Bulls and beaten Paris Saint-Germain on penalties, Jose Mourinho's side travelled to Maryland on the back of some unflattering pre-season form. The contest with old rivals Barcelona offered an opportunity to put things right ahead of their Community Shield outing with Arsenal on Sunday, and they looked determined to do so with a fast and furious start this morning.

Within 10 minutes, the Blues had fashioned two clear chances. First, Kurt Zouma saw his header denied by Marc-Andre ter Stegen following Cesc Fabregas's wonderful cross, while Oscar's effort was later beaten away by the German stopper.

It proved a sign of things to come as Hazard danced through Barcelona's midfield before slotting past Ter Stegen to open the scoring in fine fashion. Lionel Messi - not in attendance due to his Copa America commitments earlier this month - would have approved.

Oscar then crashed a free kick against the crossbar, while Diego Costa missed a one-on-one with Ter Stegen before kicking the advertising board - the latest gaffe in what has been a misfiring pre-season for him. At the other end, Thibaut Courtois was proving a worthy adversary for the devilish Suarez, who was denied on three occasions by the Belgian.

They struggled to retain that same fluency after the break, and found themselves trailing within 20 minutes of the restart. Cesar Azpilicueta's poor header helped Suarez equalise, with Sandro then bending a fine effort around Courtois. From there, the Blues seldom threatened, with a host of changes disrupting them in the final third. Ramires missed their only clear-cut chance of the half, but Cahill leapt above Masip in the closing stages to salvage a draw.

Barcelona's performance

Fresh from their 3-1 defeat to Manchester United, Enrique's men had a point to prove against English opposition. However, Hazard scuppered their pre-match plans inside 10 minutes by opening the scoring with a superb solo effort. From there, the Blaugrana's defensive line was dangerously high for the remainder of the half, with Costa - who also should have had a penalty - and Oscar among those who came close to punishing their sense of adventure.

At the other end, Suarez looked to be carrying his teammates in the final third, with Sandro and Munir El-Haddadi offering little to no support for the Uruguayan through the middle. In truth, Courtois was all that stood between Barcelona and a better half-time score, with the Belgian denying Suarez on a number of occasions.

The European champions emerged from the interval with a renewed sense of urgency, however, and levelled up within seven minutes when Suarez cleverly lifted the ball over Courtois to strike back in what was proving a fascinating personal duel.

Barca soon grew on top and moved ahead in style when Sandro cut inside onto his right foot and curled beyond the reach of Courtois for what looked like the winner. With minutes remaining, though, Masip inexplicably ventured well off his line to claim a corner, before Cahill beat him to it as he headed into an empty net.

Sports Mole's man of the match

Thibaut Courtois: The big Belgian produced a 'you shall not pass' performance in the first half with a series of fine saves to keep out Suarez in particular. His Uruguayan counterpart pushed him close, especially after finally beating him on 52 minutes with a fine close-range lob, but overall Courtois was the stand-out performer.

Biggest gaffe

It has to be Azpilicueta. Relatively solid for the best part of 50 minutes, the Spanish left-back miscued a straightforward defensive header, and Suarez was on hand to punish him seconds later.

Referee performance

This morning's official produced a good performance overall, but perhaps should have awarded Chelsea a first-half penalty when Costa looked to have been tripped inside the area by Gerard Gumbau.

What next?

Chelsea: Mourinho and co fly back to England this week ahead of meeting Arsenal in Sunday's Community Shield affair at Wembley.

Barcelona: The treble winners conclude their pre-season campaign on Sunday with their last International Champions Cup encounter with Fiorentina.