Chelsea won their first competitive friendly under new manager Xabi Alonso, beating Western Sydney Wanderers 6-4 to get their pre-season tour of Australia and South-East Asia off to a positive start.It was by no means perfect, as the scoreline suggests, but there were always going to be teething problems as the players continue to work their way up to full fitness. Alonso used 22 players in all in Sydney, with Joao Pedro stealing the limelight by coming off the bench to score a hat-trick in under 10 minutes.Here The Athletic dissects some of the main talking points.Joao Pedro celebrates one of his goals (David Gray/AFP via Getty Images)Essugo catches the eyeDario Essugo has not had much of a chance to prove his worth since joining from Sporting CP last year.A serious thigh injury suffered while away on international duty in September meant he has made just eight substitute appearances for the club in competitive games so far.The 21-year-old was given a chance to start at the Accor Stadium, albeit in a Chelsea XI dominated by academy players. Essugo was one of those who stood out in the opening 45 minutes, and not just because he scored a fine equaliser to level the score at 2-2. On several occasions he demonstrated a real burst of speed to carry the ball up the pitch and lead the counter attack.Just as importantly, his runs helped alleviate the pressure from the defence.The impressive Dario Essugo (left) celebrates with team-mate Reggie Walsh (Saeed Khan/AFP via Getty Images)Admittedly, he was up against a team that finished bottom of the A-League — Australia’s top division — in the 2025-26 season, so no one should get overexcited. But Essugo was bought essentially as cover for Moises Caicedo and has rarely had an opportunity to demonstrate his qualities.Chelsea have a number of midfielders in the group, so Essugo’s role in the setup is still to be determined. Speaking after the match, he was clearly upbeat about what 2026-27 might bring. Asked by reporters whether he knows if he is part of Alonso’s plans or going to be loaned out elsewhere, he smiled and said: “I am a Chelsea player.”This display will help him catch Alonso’s eye, even though he was one of the two players — Ryan Kavuma-McQueen was the other — taken off at half-time. One suspects that is partly with the greater challenge of Saturday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur in mind.