Carlo Ancelotti tends to squirm at comparisons with Jose Mourinho, a manager with whom he endured a tempestuous relationship in Serie A, though he does at least now have something in common with the Portuguese. Some five years after the self-styled Special One began his reign as Chelsea manager with a victory over Celtic in this arena, the Italian followed suit here with a win over the local Major League Soccer franchise. The Londoners will hope this is a portent of glorious things to come.

The Seattle Sounders were brushed aside here, their initial frantic enthusiasm punctured by two wonderfully crafted goals from the visitors before the interval in front of 65,289 supporters. Daniel Sturridge, whose transfer fee from Manchester City has still to be determined by a tribunal, excelled in each, rolling off the hapless Jhon Kennedy Hurtado early on before curling a delicious shot beyond Kasey Keller and into the far corner to set the tone.

The 19-year-old's pass inside Hurtado for Nicolas Anelka to collect and pull back for Frank Lampard to tuck away was just as impressive. The Sounders, undermined by a ponderous defence, were generous opponents yet, even in this early season stroll in the sunshine, Sturridge offered plenty of positives for Ancelotti to consider. The teenager might have scored another himself, steering a low shot across Keller but beyond the far post, before departing as one of nine substitutes at half-time.

Thereafter, it was left for Andriy Shevchenko's highlights – his hair, rather than his performance – to catch the eye against a side second in the west standings of Major League Soccer, a point clear of David Beckham's Los Angeles Galaxy. The hosts' best moments were generally inspired by Freddie Ljungberg, the former Arsenal and West Ham midfielder seeing his best efforts scrambled away by Alex and Petr Cech, with John Terry comfortable and composed at the heart of the visitors defence.

The England captain had mustered an astute intervention on Fredy Montero in the first minute to suggest his focus was very much on Chelsea despite Manchester City's recent pursuit of his signature. The centre-half was on the sidelines wincing as Hilario almost gifted Sébastien le Toux a second-half consolation, but this was a gentle and impressive start to the Londoners' pre-season preparations.

Franco di Santo struck a post and was denied by Terry Boss from close range, with the Premier League team continuing to create the clearest chances. Lampard was their only player to feature for the full 90 minutes. Mourinho, whose Internazionale will confront his former club in Pasadena on Tuesday, had led Chelsea to a 4-2 win against Celtic here in 2004. Ancelotti will hope similar successes to those enjoyed by the Portuguese lie ahead.