Enzo Fernandez was booed by sections of the Chelsea faithful during a 3-1 pre-season victory over Real Sociedad at Stamford Bridge — a result that also offered an early glimpse of manager Xabi Alonso's tactical thinking for the season ahead.

Morgan Rogers, Chelsea's £117 million club-record signing from Aston Villa, needed just seven minutes to open his account in a Chelsea shirt, reacting first after goalkeeper Alex Remiro parried a Joao Pedro header. Within 10 minutes, the Stamford Bridge crowd were already chanting his name.

Rogers operated in a front three alongside Cole Palmer and Pedro, and looked sharp throughout his 62-minute outing — though it was understandable that he faded late on, having trained for less than a week after returning from holiday.

Pedro the standout performer

Beyond Rogers, Joao Pedro has been Chelsea's most consistent performer across pre-season. He scored twice on the day — heading Chelsea back in front in the 47th minute after Jon Mikel Aramburu's volley had drawn Real Sociedad level just before half-time, then adding a side-footed finish 30 minutes later to seal the result.

Pedro has now scored eight goals in seven pre-season appearances and has led the forward line with authority. Chelsea lost their shape somewhat towards the end of the first half and looked open, but they were considerably sharper after the interval.

Alonso's 3-4-2-1 takes shape

Taking charge of a match at Stamford Bridge for the first time, Alonso deployed a 3-4-2-1 formation — the same system used in Chelsea's 3-0 victory over AC Milan a week earlier. He has insisted he will not be fixed on either a back three or a back four, but the structure was evident.

Robert Sanchez started in goal, with Wesley Fofana, new signing Maxence Lacroix, and Levi Colwill forming the back three from right to left. Pedro Neto played as right wing-back and Marco Palestra on the left, while captain Reece James and Moises Caicedo anchored central midfield. Substitute Pep Chavarria also made his debut from the bench.

Chelsea face Fulham in nine days, and this match offered a clear indication of the shape Alonso intends to use at the start of the Premier League season.

Fernandez booed on return

The pre-season occasion was overshadowed by the reception given to Fernandez, whose name drew audible boos from early arrivals when it was read over the stadium announcer — 45 minutes before kick-off. The stadium announcer subsequently chose not to read out the names of the substitutes shortly before the match began.

When Fernandez came on in the 62nd minute, sections of the crowd booed, though others responded by chanting his name. Every touch he made was met with a mixture of both reactions, and some supporters cheered when he was fouled.

The tension follows a turbulent summer in which Fernandez publicly expressed his desire to join Real Madrid, before the Spanish club ended their interest. His agent, Javier Pastore, also claimed publicly that Fernandez is underpaid. Representatives then held talks with Manchester City, but no offer was made to meet Chelsea's £120 million valuation before Friday's 17:00 BST deadline.

Alonso and the club showed their own backing when Reece James, on leaving the field, passed the armband to Fernandez in his usual role as long-time vice-captain.

The saga appears to have concluded for now, with Chelsea expecting to keep Fernandez. Whether Manchester City elect to revive their interest before the 1 September transfer deadline — potentially seeking to reunite him with former manager Enzo Maresca — remains to be seen.

Squad trimming still a challenge

Chelsea still carry 40 senior professionals on their books and must offload at least 15 players in the 17 days remaining in the transfer window to reach a squad of 25.

Alonso left out Nicolas Jackson, Liam Delap, Mykhailo Mudryk, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Mamadou Sarr — all of whom are either available for transfer or attracting loan interest. Mudryk and Sarr are targeting Premier League loan moves; Jackson is available for £65 million, Delap for £50 million, while Tosin has attracted interest from Benfica and Marseille.

New arrivals Emmanuel Emegha, Danny Welbeck, and Jordan Henderson, along with recalled loanee Aaron Anselmino, were also absent — seemingly through injury. New midfield signing Valentin Barco, who joined from Strasbourg, did not feature despite being named in the squad.