Caicedo screamer and Joao Pedro brace seal dominant Chelsea win over AC Milan
Chelsea secured a dominant victory over AC Milan in a pre-season match, highlighted by a standout performance from Joao Pedro and a long-range goal from Moises Caicedo. The match featured tactical experiments by manager Xabi Alonso, who successfully deployed Marco Palestra in a new role.
Why it matters
Pre-season matches are essential for top-tier football clubs to test tactical adjustments and integrate new players before the competitive season begins.
Chelsea bounced back from recent pre-season setbacks in impressive fashion, dispatching AC Milan with relative ease. The narrative of the match was set early on by an intriguing tactical decision from Xabi Alonso, who deployed Italy international Marco Palestra in an unfamiliar left-back role . Palestra thrived in the position, providing constant width and creativity that the Italian giants failed to contain throughout a one-sided encounter.
Milan, coming off a draw against Inter , handed first starts of the summer to Rafael Leao and Luka Modric , but were hampered by the absences of Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez . The Blues looked the more dangerous side from the outset, with Koni De Winter 's early defensive lapse allowing Joao Pedro to race clear on goal, forcing Lorenzo Torriani into a tricky save.
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