Joao Pedro scored twice as Chelsea marked the Indonesian leg of their pre-season tour with a comfortable 3-0 win over Milan.The Brazilian forward, who, like Cole Palmer, was deployed behind recently-signed striker Danny Welbeck as new manager Xabi Alonso tested out an alternative formation, headed the opener late in the first half before bundling home immediately after the break to set Chelsea on their way to victory at 77,000-capacity Gelora Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta.Moises Caicedo put the icing on the cake with an eye-catching volley from a Pedro Neto corner as the Londoners humbled former Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim’s Serie A side.Liam Twomey breaks down the main talking points.Joao Pedro’s pre-season promise persistsOne of the biggest reasons to be bullish about Chelsea’s prospects this season is that Joao Pedro has benefitted from a golden confluence of circumstances, born of a summer of enforced rest after being overlooked by Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti for their World Cup squad.Maximum energy, maximum motivation.That has certainly appeared to be the case for the 24-year-old during this trip to Australia and East Asia, but making an impact against Milan on Saturday carries a bit more weight for the new Premier League season than ripping apart Western Sydney Wanderers with a late hat-trick off the bench in the 6-4 win that began the tour.Alonso took the opportunity in his 3-4-2-1 system to take a look at Joao Pedro in the left pocket rather than as a No 9, and he responded by serving a reminder that he is very capable of sniffing out goals even when the attacking ecosystem around him is less than fully functional.A well-executed shoulder into the chest of goalkeeper Lorenzo Torriani bought him the separation he needed to head Caicedo’s inswinging cross into the far corner at the end of a first half low on action, and he timed his run to the back post to perfection shortly after the interval to meet Neto’s inviting delivery and earn himself another tap-in.
Joao Pedro and Caicedo’s ‘impudent screamer’ fire Chelsea to Milan win, Alonso changes shape
Liam Twomey breaks down the main talking points from Chelsea's 3-0 win over Milan in Jakarta, Indonesia












