A narrow 1-0 win over Perth Glory in Maurizio Sarri's first game in charge of Chelsea paints a rather misleading picture, with the Blues embracing their new manager's attacking style with surprising speed.
It took just five minutes for Pedro to slot home the first goal of the Sarri era and though that was where the goals stopped, early signs were positive.
The Spanish winger was particularly effective in Sarri's 4-3-3 formation and he enjoyed the freedom his new manager's approach offered him.
"When you move with freedom to go inside or outside, it's good for me to play in the team," Pedro said post-match.
"The result is only 1-0 but we created a lot of chances and played very well.
"It's a pity the final result, but the game is very good."
As Pedro wrecked havoc moving forward, Brazilian defender David Luiz was left to calmly mop up Glory's counter attacks.
Known for charging forward at times, Luiz is clearly ready to embrace Sarri's attacking tactics.
"We played well, starting to know about the new philosophy," Luiz said.
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"The result is nice. We create a lot, should have scored more goals, but it was great to start to try a new philosophy."
Despite dominating for large periods, Chelsea did suffer a few late scares as Perth striker Brendon Santalab twice went close to grabbing an equaliser.
"They have a very good team," Luiz said of Glory.
"They were trying to play more on the counter attack, so it was different styles."
Chelsea will look to further come to grips with Sarri's philosophy when they face Inter in Nice on July 28.
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