Chelsea bounce back with Milan mauling as Joao Pedro stars

Chelsea bounced back from back-to-back pre-season defeats with an impressive 3-0 victory over AC Milan in Jakarta, their best display yet under Xabi Alonso. The performance showed clear improvement, with the tactical setup paying dividends against the Serie A heavyweight.

Joao Pedro was the star of the show with a clinical double. He opened the scoring just before half-time, peeling off the Milan goalkeeper to convert Moises Caicedo's corner delivery. Within a minute of the restart, he doubled his tally at the back post, turning in Pedro Neto's inswinging cross.

Caicedo then added a third, volleying home from the edge of the box after another corner — highlighting the impact of Chelsea's new set-piece coach Austin McPhee, according to Sky Sports. Substitutes Geovany Quenda and Nicolas Jackson created further chances but struck the woodwork, suggesting the Blues could have extended their advantage even further.