Chelsea's pre-season took another step in the right direction on Friday night as they ramp up preparations for the upcoming Premier League campaign.

The Blues ran out comfortable 3-1 winners over Udinese thanks to goals from N'Golo Kante, Mason Mount, and an account-opening strike from new signing Raheem Sterling.

It was Kante of all people who got the ball rolling for the west London club after carrying the ball unchecked from deep to fire a low sizzler into the bottom corner.

Sterling then scored his first of what fans will hope to be many goals in the famous Chelsea blue, turning beautifully into the space before eventually bundling the ball over the line.

An Edouard Mendy mistake left eh door ajar for the Italian but the result never looked at risk and, when Mount popped up at the back-post to slam home, the writing was on the wall.

Of course, only so much can be said about pre-season friendlies but the result would have been an encouraging one nonetheless for Thomas Tuchel and his staff.

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - JULY 20: Raheem Sterling of Chelsea looks on during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Chelsea FC and Charlotte FC at Bank of America Stadium on July 20, 2022 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

The Sterling goal will be a point of particular satisfaction, with many hoping that the English star will hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge.

However, while Sterling is showing encouraging signs, it is the performance of fellow newbie Kalidou Koulibaly that will really have the Chelsea faithful purring.

The titanic centre-back showed why Chelsea were so desperate to land his services as a replacement for Antonio Rudiger with an accomplished showing at the heart of the rearguard.

From the first whistle, the Senegalese man-mountain looked calm and assured, pulling off some crucial tackle while also showing his immense value with the ball at his feet.

Check out the footage of his well-rounded display in the clip below:

Brilliant. Chelsea may have landed one of the signings of the summer in Koulibaly.

Of course, we have to reiterate that it was a pre-season friendly and the new man can only truly be judged by a jury of his Premier League peers.

However, we can only go with what we have seen so far and, so far, it all points towards Koulibaly being one of the best in the league.