Chelsea secured their first clean sheet in exactly nine months in a feisty win at Everton, but for new manager Xabi Alonso the expectations are already clear: anything less than a title challenge will represent failure in his first Premier League campaign.
The Spaniard saw his side come through a distinctly ill-tempered contest with a victory and a shutout, despite a worrying injury to goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, who was taken from the field on a stretcher after a second-half collision with Jordan Pickford.
Martinez injury overshadows win
Pickford went the length of the pitch to show his concern for his fellow goalkeeper, while Jarrad Branthwaite stood by Martinez for most of the ten minutes it took to safely move the Chelsea man onto a stretcher. Martinez managed to give a thumbs-up to Branthwaite, which was slightly promising.
The collision was purely accidental, albeit one that took place in the context of a quite ill-tempered occasion. Alonso's first and sole concern will, of course, be for Martinez, but the football itself offered huge encouragement.
Title expectations at Stamford Bridge
Never mind that it is Alonso's first campaign as a Premier League manager, anything less than a Chelsea title challenge will represent failure. Manchester City can safely be taken out of the equation, while Liverpool and Manchester United have shown little to suggest they can pose a serious threat to Arsenal.
The champions themselves have been efficient without being mightily impressive. With no European football to distract and fatigue them, and a squad that gives Alonso myriad options, there really is no excuse for Chelsea should they repeat last season's mediocre efforts.
Discipline improved under Alonso
One of the things that has already improved under Alonso is the team's discipline, after a category-leading eight red cards last season. That discipline was sorely tested by an Everton side that does not shirk the physical battle.
Chelsea were fortunate to get to half-time with a full quota, with Paul Tierney deciding against an obvious second yellow card for Morgan Rogers when he endangered James Garner just before half-time. Garner's undramatic reaction helped his England team-mate, and he probably regretted his sportsmanship when a Rogers reverse-pass began the move that led to Pedro Neto's opener.
It was a nice assist from Jarrel Hato, but Pickford's involvement is, from an Everton and the England keeper's point of view, best forgotten. Pickford, under pressure from James Trafford for his place in the national team, has not had the most convincing opening to his club season.
Everton's defensive resilience tested
When Pickford errs, it can be more significant than is standard in the Premier League because a David Moyes team is normally less than prolific. Everton scored 47 times last season and now have eight from seven this season. When Everton finished fourth under Moyes in 2004-05, they scored 45 goals in amassing 61 points, with a negative goal difference.
Moyes is never going to be the great entertainer, but he is the great organiser. With organisation comes strength. After the serious injury to Martinez, Everton's strength threatened an equaliser, but Chelsea showed an unfamiliar defensive resilience before Neto wrapped up matters with his second goal.
