Sarri starts with Chelsea win after Pedro strike in friendly victory over Perth Glory

Chelsea started life under new coach Maurizio Sarri on a winning note, beating Perth Glory 1-0 in front of 55,522 fans at Optus Stadium.

Pedro opened the scoring in the fifth minute, but the 2018 FA Cup winners were well held after that, with Glory goalkeeper Liam Reddy pulling off a series of sharp saves.

Perth threatened to snatch an equaliser late in the game following the introduction of Diego Castro, Jason Davidson, Juande, and Brendon Santalab, but it wasn't to be, with Glory forced to settle for a respectable loss.

Chelsea were missing World Cup stars, with Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, N'Golo Kante, Willian, and Olivier Giroud given holiday time after competing in Russia, but Chelsea still boasted a talented starting XI that featured Cesc Fabregas, Marcos Alonso, David Luiz, and new signing Jorginho.

However, it was 17-year-old forward Callum Hudson-Odoi who stole the limelight early in the game, with his fancy footwork and neat cross setting up Pedro's opener in the fifth minute.

Glory endured a host of nervy moments during the remainder of the opening half, but they managed to keep Chelsea at bay.

New Glory recruit Fabio Ferreira caused Chelsea some headaches early in the second half with some piercing runs.

Reddy was also putting his best foot forward, pulling off a series of sharp saves to keep the scoreline at 1-0.

Pedro watched a series of chances go begging, while his teammates were also left to rue some missed opportunities.

And the post also came to Glory's rescue, with Mario Pasalic and Ross Barkley both denied by the upright.

Glory found their attacking mojo late in the game, but they couldn't produce the finishing touch.

Chelsea also beat Sydney FC by a scoreline of 1-0 in front of 83,598 fans when they last visited Australia in 2015.