Chelsea beat Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4 in a pre-season friendly at Accor Stadium in Sydney, with substitute Joao Pedro scoring a hat-trick in the space of nine minutes to complete the comeback for manager Xabi Alonso.
Dastan Satpayev put Chelsea ahead after six minutes, but the Wanderers hit back through Pantazopoulos in the 14th minute. Hammond gave the home side a 2-1 lead in the 32nd minute before Dario Essugo levelled it at 2-2 by half-time.
The Wanderers went back in front after the break through Scicluna in the 62nd minute, only for Jamie Gittens to equalise four minutes later. Lual restored the home side's lead in the 78th minute before Pedro took over, scoring in the 80th, 85th and 89th minutes to complete his hat-trick and seal the 6-4 win.
Pedro's nine-minute hat-trick
Pedro came off the bench with a point to prove after his exclusion from Brazil's World Cup squad earlier in the summer. He continued the form he showed last season, scoring three goals in nine minutes to sink the Wanderers.
Former Manchester United midfielder Bryan Robson, speaking to Hajper about Pedro, questioned Brazil manager Carlo Ancelotti's squad selection. "Did Ancelotti call up the right players? Joao Pedro is the one you look at and think you'd probably want him in your squad," Robson said. "I just think it was the cutting edge at the end of the day that was lacking, and that's why they didn't get into the quarter-finals."
Youngsters shine in Sydney
Dastan Satpayev, 17, opened the scoring in what was his first proper game for Chelsea after signing for the club, though he is not yet officially registered because he turns 18 next month. He featured as a trialist, with permission from his current club, Kazakh champions FC Kairat, and authorisation from his parents.
Reggie Walsh, 17, impressed playing at No 10 and exchanged a one-two with Dario Essugo for Chelsea's second goal. Landon Emenalo, 18, was flying down the left-back flank. Reggie Watson, the 16-year-old son of Ben Watson, was a physical force in midfield and was the only starter to remain on the pitch when Alonso made nine substitutions after an hour.
Daily Mail Sport's Kieran Gill, reporting from Accor Stadium, wrote that Liam Delap took his seat in the dugout after an hour, and that the difference between him leading the line and Pedro was stark. "The Brazilian just looked a level above," Gill said.
Gittens continues comeback from injury
Jamie Gittens scored Chelsea's third goal in the 66th minute, finishing off a pass from Pedro. The 21-year-old English winger's 2025-26 season was effectively written off from January by a hamstring injury. He has now scored in three successive friendlies under Alonso, having also found the net in behind-closed-doors wins over Crawley and Bromley in London.
Fans get their moment with Palmer
Cole Palmer spent time signing shirts and posing for photographs with fans after the match. The Chelsea squad also thanked supporters at the final whistle, appearing to enjoy a close-knit atmosphere among the group.
Lavia sidelined, Alonso reflects
Romeo Lavia did not feature for Chelsea. Alonso confirmed the midfielder felt something in his hamstring during training and the club chose not to risk him.
Alonso will have taken plenty of positives from Chelsea's attacking play, with youngsters including Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Satpayev and Watson standing out alongside more experienced players. Defensively, though, Chelsea were a shambles, with an experienced back line unable to keep the Wanderers at bay despite the eventual win.
