Chelsea player ratings vs Western Sydney Wanderers: Joao Pedro decisive as youngsters impress | OneFootball

Brazilian’s late treble flipped friendly on its head in Sydney

Chelsea came out on top of a chaotic pre-season friendly as they beat Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4 at the Accor Stadium.

Dastan Satpaev gave Chelsea an early lead as he raced onto Ryan Kavuma-McQueen’s through ball before firing high into the roof of the net.

Western Sydney Wanderers hit back almost immediately, though, as centre-back Anthony Pantazopoulos headed home from a yard out after being found free at the back post from a corner.

Dario Essugo levelled the scores shortly before the break as he finished first-time from Reggie Walsh’s lay-off.

The goals kept coming in the second half as Western Sydney Wanderers retook the lead before substitute Jamie Gittens made it 3-3 with his third goal in as many pre-season games.

The drama was not over there, though, as the two sides again traded goals, with Western Sydney Wanderers capitalising on more lapse Chelsea play before Joao Pedro showed his class to bring Chelsea level yet again.

The Brazilian was the difference for Chelsea off the bench, and he scored twice in quick succession to complete a nine-minute hat-trick and ensure Alonso’s perfect start to pre-season continued.

Standard Sport rated the Chelsea players against Western Sydney Wanderers…

Teddy Sharman-Lowe 6: Far more involved than Alonso would have liked. Almost clawed Pantazopoulos’s equaliser off the line, having moments earlier saved well from Liam Gillion. Could not do much about the hosts’ other goals.

Josh Acheampong 5: Too tentative in the tackle for Western Sydney Wanderers’ second goal. Never looked rushed in his decision-making, but arguably his calmness gave Western Sydney Wanderers confidence

Tosin Adarabioyo 4: Really struggled with the fact that Western Sydney Wanderers were unafraid to get forward and test Chelsea’s defence. Lucky not to be punished when his lapse pass was pounced upon on the edge of the box. Twice should have scored from a corner.

Olutayo Subuloye 6: An encouraging if not standout performance from Chelsea’s scholar of the year. Got up well in support of the Blues’ attack.

Landon Emenalo 6: Some superb touches and turns to create space for himself on the ball, but struggled tracking his man in transition. Fired over wildly after being found free in the box by Reggie Watson.

Reggie Walsh 7: Helped set the tempo for Chelsea alongside Watson. Neat touches to bring others into play and draw fouls. A tidy performance as the Blues put together some nice flowing moves.

Reggie Watson 8: A confident performance from the 16-year-old. Dropped deep to progress the ball in build-up and kept popping the ball out of pressure with some delightful first-time passes round the corner. Tosin should have done better from a couple of his corner deliveries.

Dario Essugo 8: Handled the ball well given the state of the pitch and scored with a superb first-time finish to bring Chelsea level before the break. Used his physicality and acceleration to help Chelsea get up the pitch.

Liam Delap 4: Could not bring the ball under control and really struggled to make an impact. Found some joy when pulling into the channels, firing a couple of half-chances over the bar.

Dastan Satpaev 7: Made a dream start to his Chelsea career, smacking the Blues into an early lead after racing through on goal and holding his nerve. Thankless runner throughout.

Ryan Kavuma-McQueen 7: Threaded a lovely through ball for Satpaev to open the scoring. Struggled once Western Sydney Wanderers took control of the game following their equaliser

Subs:

Omari Kellyman 6: Good to see him out on the pitch having endured a torrid time with injury since signing for Chelsea.

Mahdi Nicolo-Jazuli 7: Confident stuff from the Sydney-born teenager. Helped carry the ball through the lines and was a prominent defensive presence.

Estevao 5: Left Watson short with a lay-off in the build-up to Western Sydney Wanderers’ fourth goal. It is remarkable how quickly Estevao has recovered from a serious hamstring injury, but Chelsea must be careful not to rush him back to full fitness.

Robert Sanchez 6: Looked to get Chelsea straight on the attack through his distribution. Did not have much to do despite failing to keep Western Sydney Wanderers at bay.

Cole Palmer 8: Heavily involved, whether spraying passes out wide or providing an option in the channels. His wonderful through ball gave Joao Pedro the simplest of finishes. A big season ahead for Cole Palmer, who will be keen to impress after a rare summer of rest.

Marco Palestra 6: First minutes in a Chelsea shirt. Nothing to shout about, but a solid first outing for the Italian, who showed some nice glimpses going forward.

Wesley Fofana 6: Saw his header blocked before Joao Pedro scrambled home his hat-trick.

Aaron Anselmino 6: One of the many Chelsea centre-backs whose future is up in the air. Will hope for more minutes as the tour progresses.

Levi Colwill 7: Talked pre-game about the confidence Alonso has given him to play more progressively, and it was his pass that set the move in motion for Chelsea’s third goal.

Jamie Gittens 8: Continued his excellent pre-season with a goal straight off the bench, tapping home from Joao Pedro’s cut-back.

Joao Pedro 10: The difference maker for Chelsea. Immediately showed his quality to set up Gittens after a jinking run to the byline before nonchalantly finding the bottom corner with a composed right-footed finish to make it 4-4. Then gave Chelsea the lead with a composed finish from Palmer’s through ball and finished off a nine-minute hat-trick from close range.