Xabi Alonso began his tenure as Chelsea head coach with a dramatic 6-4 victory over Australian side Western Sydney Wanderers on Tuesday, as Joao Pedro scored a nine-minute hat-trick to seal an entertaining pre-season win at Stadium Australia.
The Brazilian forward came off the bench to rescue Chelsea after the Premier League club had fallen behind three times during an eventful contest, handing Alonso his first victory since taking charge on 1 July.
Chelsea fielded a youthful side for the opening hour, with several senior players unavailable following their involvement at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Despite the inexperience, 17-year-old Kazakh forward Dastan Satpaev marked his debut by opening the scoring in the sixth minute after racing onto a precise through ball from Ryan Kavuma-McQueen before finishing powerfully at the near post.
Western Sydney responded quickly, however, exposing defensive weaknesses in the Chelsea backline.
Anthony Pantazopoulos levelled with a header from a corner before Aydan Hammond completed the turnaround, giving the Australian side a 2-1 lead.
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Portugal youth international Dario Essugo restored parity before half-time with a composed finish after exchanging passes with Reggie Walsh.
The home side regained the lead shortly after the restart when Dylan Scicluna turned sharply inside the penalty area before finishing clinically to make it 3-2.
Alonso reacted immediately by making nine substitutions, introducing several senior players, including Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro.
Although Western Sydney restored their advantage again to lead 4-3, Chelsea dominated the closing stages as Pedro struck three times in nine minutes to complete a remarkable comeback and secure a winning start for the Spaniard.
The victory provides an encouraging first result for Alonso, who faces the challenge of rebuilding Chelsea after the club finished 10th in the Premier League last season and missed out on European competition.
The former Bayer Leverkusen manager, who won the Bundesliga title and German Cup during his spell in Germany, has been tasked with returning Chelsea to domestic and European contention.
Alonso adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation and trusted several academy graduates alongside experienced figures such as Josh Acheampong, Liam Delap and captain Tosin.
Chelsea have also strengthened their squad during the transfer window with the arrivals of attacking midfielder Morgan Rogers, winger Geovany Quenda, defender Marco Palestra and striker Emmanuel Emegha.
Only Palestra, signed from Serie A side Atalanta, travelled with the squad, while several first-team regulars remain absent after the World Cup, including Reece James and Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernández.
Chelsea’s pre-season preparations continue on Saturday when they face London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Stadium Australia.
The Blues will then travel to Hong Kong, Indonesia and Malaysia for additional friendly matches as Alonso continues to assess his squad before the start of the 2026-27 campaign.
