Chelsea opened their pre-season campaign in extraordinary fashion, beating Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4 in a ten-goal thriller at the Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Brazilian forward Joao Pedro stole the headlines, completing a hat-trick in the space of just ten minutes to seal a dramatic win for the Blues.
The match served as Xabi Alonso’s first game in charge of Chelsea, the Spaniard rotating heavily throughout as expected in the season opener.
Joao Pedro’s first equaliser came from a Gittens cross headed in his direction, with reporter Bobby Vincent noting he “was always going to score.”
His second arrived after a slick pass from Palmer, with the Brazilian described as “so calm in front of goal” as Chelsea edged ahead for the first time since 1-0.
The hat-trick was completed when Fofana headed across at the back post and Joao Pedro converted, capping a sensational personal performance in a frantic second half.
The match had been far from straightforward, with Western Sydney Wanderers leading 3-2 at one stage after goals from Hammond, Pantazopoulos, Scicluna, and Lual threatened an unlikely upset.
Chelsea’s first goal of the Alonso era had come from Dastan Satpayev, who thundered the ball into the top corner after Kavuma-McQueen provided an inch-perfect pass from a goal kick.
Dario Essugo was among the standout performers in the first half, earning an 8/10 rating from reporter Bobby Vincent, who also gave Satpayev the same score after his impressive outing.
Former Chelsea defender William Gallas offered a stark warning ahead of the new season, saying: “It won’t take much for people to boo him if the results aren’t good. People will say he’s a Liverpool guy and question why he was brought in.”
Gallas, speaking to talkSPORT Bet, acknowledged Alonso’s credentials but questioned his connection to the club, adding: “Sometimes you need someone who knows the history of the club, especially a former player.”
Former Chelsea man Jody Morris was more optimistic, insisting the minimum expectation under Alonso must be a return to Champions League football this season.
Morris said: “Not at Chelsea, not with the money we’ve shelled out and the talent in the squad. Everyone is disappointed because the level of quality we have and the amount spent should not result in the position we were in, it was a disgrace.”
He added: “Minimum Champions League. I also want to see a change in mentality, I felt we were a bit of a petulant team with too many red cards.”
Despite the chaos of a ten-goal game, the result will be viewed as a positive start to life under Alonso, with several academy players and fringe stars taking the opportunity to impress the new head coach.
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