Chelsea finished pre-season with a 3-1 win over Real Sociedad, and the main talking points were straightforward. Morgan Rogers scored on his Chelsea debut, Joao Pedro added a second-half brace, and the back three was in place again.

Rogers and Pedro decide the game

Rogers was on hand for a simple tap-in inside the opening 11 minutes, with BBC Sport reporting the goal as coming after 10 minutes. Standard described it as inside 11, so the exact timing is the only wrinkle. Either way, it was a neat start to life at Chelsea for a debutant who did not need long to get involved.

Pedro did the heavier lifting after the break. BBC Sport said he restored Chelsea's lead with a close-range header shortly after half-time before adding a third late on to seal the win. That took him to eight goals in pre-season, which is a strong return even before the league starts.

Enzo Fernández and Pedro Neto were among the other names in the mix, but this was mostly about the two scorers. Rogers gave Chelsea the early lift, Pedro finished the job, and the 3-1 scoreline was settled well before the final whistle became the point.

Alonso's back three before Fulham

The tactical clue was just as clear. For a third straight match, Chelsea started with a back three, with Sky Sports saying the shape mirrored Xabi Alonso's successful 3-4-3 from Bayer Leverkusen.

That does not mean the system is locked in for the whole season, and no one should pretend a pre-season run has settled that. It does show Alonso is leaning into the structure before Chelsea's Premier League opener away at Fulham's ground on August 24, an 8pm Monday Night Football fixture.

The result itself will not carry much weight once the competitive games start, but the detail around the shape and the scoring options does matter. Rogers has made his mark quickly, Pedro is carrying pre-season form into the final week, and Chelsea head into Fulham with a clearer idea of what their front line can offer.

Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →