Chelsea earned their best win yet under Xabi Alonso as they beat Bournemouth 5-1 at Stamford Bridge. The Blues were 2-0 up after two minutes and 29 seconds, with Jordan Henderson and Joao Pedro both scoring twice each, and Morgan Rogers adding a further goal in a game Chelsea never looked like losing.
Defensive and midfield displays
Emi Martinez made important saves and good claims from crosses. Josh Acheampong impressed for the England Under-21 international, taking down one high ball and playing back to Martinez to relieve pressure. Maxence Lacroix got on the end of many Bournemouth crosses to block and clear, showing great aerial ability. Levi Colwill kept his concentration despite not having Lacroix's aerial dominance.
Pedro Neto worked hard at right wing-back and assisted Joao Pedro just after the restart with an unselfish cross. Moises Caicedo returned from injury and was immediately noticeable, racing into tackles and calming things down in midfield.
Standout performers
Jordan Henderson scored a sensational opener and then a sublime free-kick, with an outstanding midfield performance in between. Pep Chavarria delivered a trademark scampering performance from left wing-back, including a peach of a cross for Joao Pedro's second goal. Morgan Rogers took up good positions and scored the early second goal with a hoick that was nodded in by a Bournemouth defender but was on its way in anyway.
Cole Palmer, on the day his new contract was announced, worked hard with first-rate movement and assisted Henderson's opening goal. Joao Pedro scored two more goals for Chelsea's ruthless No9, the first an arrow into the roof of the net and the second a confident finish.
Substitutes' impact
Romeo Lavia, on for Caicedo in the 72nd minute, settled things down and brought some crunching tackles. Marco Palestra, also introduced in the 72nd minute for Joao Pedro, was subdued on his debut and will need to feel his way in at Chelsea. Danny Welbeck, Estevao, and Malo Gusto came on late with no rating given. Unused substitutes were Penders, Fofana, Hato, and Quenda.
