'Emotional' start! Xabi Alonso delighted with Stamford Bridge welcome as Morgan Rogers scores on debut in Chelsea win

The former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid manager was given a warm reception by the Chelsea faithful as he took charge of his first game in West London. After a summer of transition, Alonso was quick to praise the supporters for the atmosphere they created during the win over the Spanish visitors.

Reflecting on the experience, Alonso said: 'It was emotional to feel my first time in the new home. A great reception from the supporters to the team and to the new staff, myself as well, so delighted. We want to create good connections and have that support. We want to give them good football so they will give us energy, and we connect. To have a good atmosphere here in the stadium will be a massive boost for the team.'

On the pitch, all eyes were on Morgan Rogers following his British record £117 million move from Aston Villa. The young attacker did not disappoint, finding the net just 11 minutes into his debut by tapping home from close range. While Jon Aramburu managed to level the scores for Real Sociedad just before the interval, Chelsea’s superior quality eventually shone through in the second half.

Joao Pedro proved to be the difference-maker, restoring the lead by heading home a cross from captain Reece James before adding a second to ensure a comfortable two-goal cushion. The performance of the new arrivals and returning stars provided plenty of encouragement for the coaching staff. Alonso noted that the integration of his squad is progressing well despite varying levels of fitness across the group.

The match also allowed Alonso to reintegrate key players like James and Maxence Lacroix following their World Cup exploits. Crucially, the Spaniard stuck with his preferred 3-4-3 system for a third straight game - the formation that brought him historic Bundesliga success at Leverkusen - signalling a permanent move away from his earlier 4-2-3-1 setup.

Alonso explained the importance of the workout, stating: 'It was a very good last preparation game. For some players it was the first one and the last one. For us, there were some good things, some things we can improve. It's normal at this moment for some players. It was great to have all the team together. Some of them after three days could play for 60 minutes. It was the last test.'

The victory over Real Sociedad provided a fitting end to a mixed pre-season for Chelsea, who bounce back from earlier defeats against Tottenham and Juventus to build momentum with wins over AC Milan and the Spanish side, alongside a 3-3 draw with Johor Darul Ta'zim and a 6-4 thriller against Western Sydney Wanderers. With their summer schedule now complete, the Blues turn their attention to the Premier League opener against Fulham on August 24, giving Alonso a nine-day window to fine-tune his tactics before the short trip to Craven Cottage.

The manager concluded his assessment by looking forward to the work ahead at Cobham this week. He added: 'Now we have a whole week to prepare for Fulham, but it was a good feeling in the stadium.'