Chelsea defender David Luiz was impressed by Perth Glory’s fighting qualities but feels the Blues should have scored more goals in Monday night’s friendly clash.
A fifth-minute goal from Spanish winger Pedro was the difference in the end as Chelsea came away 1-0 winners in front of a sellout crowd at Optus Stadium.
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The Premier League giants created a host of chances, especially in the first-half, as they seemed to revel in new boss Maurizio Sarri’s attacking philosophy.
But a mixture of poor finishing, desperate Glory defending and some fine saves from keeper Liam Reddy kept the Hyundai A-League side in the contest right until the end.
And Glory could have snatched a draw, with substitute Brendon Santalab twice going close to grabbing an equaliser.
"The result is nice. We create a lot, should have scored more goals, but it was great to start to try a new philosophy," Luiz said post-match.
The Brazilian added: "They have a very good team.
"They were trying to play more on the counter attack, so it was different styles."
It’s been a whirlwind start to Sarri’s reign as Chelsea boss, but the Italian was pleased with the way his side performed for the first hour of the match.
“Perth Glory has done a good match to defend with intensity,” Sarri said.
“The result was not the mirror of the game, but it’s more important in this period the performance,” he added.
“I expect us to improve match by match. It’s not easy at this moment because we are without 12 players from the World Cup.
“It has been a difficult week with a long flight, jetlag, but at the end of the week I can say we have worked well, and we have played a good match for 60 minutes."
Glory boss Tony Popovic – who gave time match time to new recruits Juande, Ivan Franjic, Fabio Ferreira, Jason Davidson and Santalab - said the hitout against the EPL side was perfect for his squad.
While he believes they showed too much respect to Chelsea at times, he was proud of his side’s effort in tough conditions.
"All round it was a good night for us," Popovic said.
"It's still pre-season, we've got no injuries and the spectacle was excellent. It's something we should all remember.
"I think in general the effort, the work-rate, the commitment from the players I terms of what we've been trying to do was excellent.
"They should take a lot from it. We'll learn from the experience."
Glory will play their first competitive match in the FFA Cup Round of 32 against Hyundai A-League champions Melbourne Victory in Perth on Tuesday, August 7.
