OFFICIAL: Coach Xabi Alonso secures his first win at Chelsea

Xabi Alonso enjoyed a smooth start as Chelsea's head coach, guiding the London side to a 3-1 victory over Crawley Town in a behind-closed-doors friendly.

The Spanish tactician is hurriedly preparing for the new Premier League season after signing a four-year contract, thereby becoming Liam Rosenior's successor at Stamford Bridge.

In the match against the League Two side, Jamie Gittens somewhat proved his worth of the £52 million transfer fee by getting on the scoresheet. Liam Delap, who has not met expectations since moving from Ipswich Town last year, also found the net.

Chelsea's other goal came from Emmanuel Emegha. The 23-year-old striker marked his first appearance for the London club with a goal. Emegha signed a seven-year contract with Chelsea last September but remained at Strasbourg on loan until the end of the past season.

Alongside testing first-team players, Alonso used the closed-door friendly to evaluate a group of young talents who could become Chelsea's new discoveries. Teenage prospects Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli and Landon Emenalo were named in the starting lineup.

In the second half, Reggie Watson, Reggie Walsh, Ryan Kavuma-McQueen, Calvin Diakite, and Genesis Antwi were given opportunities. Dastan Satpayev, 17, also made his first minutes for Chelsea after completing a £3.3 million move from Kairat.

Some of the club's stars were absent, including Enzo Fernandez. The midfielder is with the Argentina national team preparing for the World Cup final after defeating England.

Chelsea will continue with a closed-door friendly against Bromley, a League One newcomer, on Thursday before heading to Australia for a pre-season tour. There, Alonso's team is expected to face Western Sydney Wanderers and Tottenham.

After that, Chelsea will travel to Hong Kong to play Juventus, then face AC Milan and Johor Darul Ta'zim in Jakarta and Malaysia respectively. The squad list for the tour has not yet been finalized as the management continues to assess options in the transfer market.

Marco Palestra became Alonso's first signing after joining Chelsea from Atalanta for a fee of £43 million. The Stamford Bridge club is also close to another major deal, with Aston Villa reportedly accepting a record £117 million offer for Morgan Rogers.