Reece James was the star man as Chelsea recorded a hugely impressive 3-0 victory over Italian champions AC Milan.
Going into the Champions League group stage encounter, the Blues were in desperate need of three points to boost their chances of qualification to the knockout rounds.
Chelsea were beaten 1-0 away from by Dinamo Zagreb in their opening game, before being held to a 1-1 draw on home soil by Red Bull Salzburg.
But Graham Potter's side were simply too good at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening, with James the scorer of the team's third goal after strikes from summer signings Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang - the latter of which was assisted by James.
It was a typically fantastic finish by the marauding right-wing back as well, who has quickly become one of the very best in the world at what he does.
James is now England's first-choice right-back
The 22-year-old's exploits in both the Premier League and Champions League in recent times have seen him leapfrog Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold in the England pecking order.
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 05: Mason Mount and Reece James of Chelsea celebrate their sides victory after the UEFA Champions League group E match between Chelsea FC and AC Milan at Stamford Bridge on October 05, 2022 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
James started both of the Three Lions' UEFA Nations League matches against Italy and Germany in the September international break, which is a clear sign he'll be handed the same responsibility at the Qatar World Cup.
And Rio Ferdinand's superb analysis of James' masterclass against Milan is all the proof we need that Southgate is right to side with the Chelsea man over Alexander-Arnold at this point in time.
Up against the full-back terroriser that is Rafael Leao, the London-born defender more than held his own and was able to perfectly mix attacking threat with defensive stability.
Check out Ferdinand's analysis...
Video: Ferdinand waxed lyrical about James on BT Sport
James is a machine and while he maybe doesn't offer quite the same wizardry in the final third as Alexander-Arnold, he brings far more balance to the team he is playing in.
What did Ferdinand say about James?
Ferdinand said: “What I loved about Reece James in the second half is he was aggressive with Rafael Leao. He said ‘I’ll defend you and also be an effective player at the other end of the pitch'.
"The difference with Reece James, he wants the fight. On the ball I believe he’s equally as good as Trent Alexander-Arnold and defensively right now he’s a lot sharper. He defends better than Trent in one v ones situations. That’s the difference between them at the moment. It’s going to be a great battle and a great subplot to the Premier League at the moment.
“At the moment Reece is having a great spell and is ahead of Trent in my eyes, but that could change because there are ups and downs.â€