By OkayGoal 
Chelsea began Xabi Alonso’s pre-season campaign with a 3-1 win over League Two side Crawley Town in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Cobham on Saturday.
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According to journalist Nizaar Kinsella, Jamie Gittens, Liam Delap and Emmanuel Emegha were on target in Alonso’s first unofficial match as Chelsea head coach.
New Chelsea signing Emmanuel Emegha was among the goals at Chelsea beat Crawley 3-1 in a behind closed doors friendly at Cobham. Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap also scored. pic.twitter.com/Ziy0hRBEEV
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) July 18, 2026
Several academy players were given opportunities as Alonso continued to assess his squad ahead of the new season. Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli and Landon Emenalo started, while Reggie Watson, Reggie Walsh, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Calvin Diakite and Genesis Antwi were introduced at half-time.
Summer signing Dastan Satpayev also featured after the interval, with the 17-year-old making his first unofficial appearance since joining from Kairat.
Chelsea remain without a number of first-team players following their involvement at the World Cup, although Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro are among those who have already returned to training at Cobham.
The Blues face League One side Bromley in another behind-closed-doors friendly on Thursday before flying to Australia to begin their pre-season tour.
Chelsea are due to face Western Sydney Wanderers on 28 July and Tottenham Hotspur on 1 August in Sydney before travelling to Hong Kong to play Juventus on 5 August, Jakarta to face AC Milan on 8 August and Malaysia to take on Johor Darul Ta’zim on 9 August.
Alonso has yet to finalise his travelling squad, with several academy players still weighing up potential loan moves before the transfer window closes.