Top News

Chelsea made a strong statement in their pre-season build-up with an emphatic 3-0 win over AC Milan in Jakarta. A brace from Joao Pedro and a stunning effort from Moises Caicedo gave the Premier League side a thoroughly comfortable evening against the Rossoneri.

Blues hit top rhythm in Jakarta

Chelsea responded to their recent pre-season setbacks in impressive style, beating AC Milan with considerable ease. The tone of the contest was established early by an eye-catching tactical call from Xabi Alonso, who used Italy international Marco Palestra in the unfamiliar role of left-back. Palestra excelled there, offering regular width and invention that the Italian giants were unable to deal with in what became a one-sided match.

Milan, fresh from a draw against Inter, gave first starts of the summer to Rafael Leao and Luka Modric, but were weakened by the absence of Christian Pulisic and Santiago Gimenez. Chelsea looked the more threatening team from the beginning, and an early defensive mistake from Koni De Winter allowed Joao Pedro to burst through on goal, forcing Lorenzo Torriani into an awkward save.

Joao Pedro takes centre stage

Although Milan tried to hold firm, with Christian Comotto having a volley blocked and Pedro Neto testing the goalkeeper, the breakthrough finally arrived just before half-time. Caicedo, who controlled the midfield battle, delivered a dangerous corner that found Pedro unmarked, and he headed in.

Chelsea carried that momentum straight into the second half. Just 38 seconds after the restart, Alonso’s side doubled their lead. Neto lifted a dangerous cross towards the back post, where Pedro was on hand to turn the ball in from close range.

Caicedo supplies the moment of magic

The game was effectively put beyond Milan in the 50th minute when Caicedo produced the standout moment of the night. With Milan unable to fully clear a corner, the ball dropped to the Blues captain on the edge of the D, and he struck a sublime outside-of-the-boot volley into the far corner.

Ruben Amorim made eight substitutions during the second half, but the pattern of the game remained largely in Chelsea’s favour. The convincing result was an important one for the Blues, helping them restore confidence after successive pre-season defeats to Juventus (1-0) and Tottenham (2-1).

Woodwork denies Chelsea more goals

Chelsea were unfortunate not to score a fourth in the closing stages. Geovany Quenda had one attempt blocked by Sankhoun Diawara before hammering another effort against the post. Nicolas Jackson also went close to adding his name to the scoresheet after brushing off Vladimirov, but his shot struck the woodwork as Milan’s defence continued to buckle under relentless pressure from the English side.

Chelsea will complete their pre-season schedule against Malaysian champions Johor Darul Ta'zim on Sunday, before beginning their 2026-27 Premier League campaign with a match against Fulham on August 24.