Having missed the trip to Brentford due to injury, Joao Pedro was back in the starting line-up for Saturday’s home game against Bournemouth, and showed what we had been missing with two clinical second-half goals.

That, along with a brace by Jordan Henderson and Rogers’ own strike, helped us to get back to winning ways in emphatic style with a 5-1 victory over the Cherries at Stamford Bridge.

Joao Pedro’s contribution took him to five goals in as many Premier League appearances in 2026/27, already well on his way to matching his tally of 15 in his debut campaign with the Blues in that competition, and drawing praise from his team-mate for his impact on the team.

‘I think his hunger to score goals, his hunger to work for the team is massive,’ said Rogers when asked what the Brazilian brings to Chelsea.

‘Especially for me, where I play on the pitch, it really helps me loads. He always gives me an option. I can always play off him, he can play off me.

‘I think he's a massive part of us, not just scoring goals as well, he works so hard. The relentless running in the channel and working defensively as well for the team.

‘He’s on the top of his game right now and it's really good for Chelsea that he's doing so.

‘It’s not all he's focused on, but a lot of his focus is on getting goals, being in the box. He worked on it in training about arriving, getting in the box and scoring goals and he's been doing that every game since I've been here.’

Joao Pedro and Rogers scored three goals between them against the Cherries, while Cole Palmer had a big hand in both Henderson strikes. It was yet another example of how well that attacking trio have gelled to make a flying start to this season.

However, Rogers is quick to point out that it is a team effort and there is still plenty more to come from the Blues attack in terms of creating chances, despite us already finding the net 23 times in our eight games so far in 2026/27.

‘As an attacking threat, it’s not just us three either, but as an attacking threat we're quite deadly in those situations,’ he said.

‘It's about how often we can get in there, and it's still a work in progress on getting there more times than we have done. But when we do get there, we're quite confident in each other we're going to score and we're going to create.

‘So it's a positive that we've taken from the start of the season. It's just about keeping it going now.’

That tally of 23 includes four goals and four assists from Rogers himself, who has wasted no time settling into his new surroundings since joining Chelsea from Aston Villa in the summer. It is something he puts down to the trust shown in him by his fellow Blues.

‘I'm feeling really good when I go out there, feeling really confident. The players and the staff allow me to be me, which is the most important thing, and I can just play my game and focus on that.

‘I've still got improvements that I want to make in my game, but I'm happy with the start. I think the start's the important thing and you try and get fans on your side, try to get the players on your side, which is tough.

‘So I'm glad that I can do that, but it's just about moving forward with the team. It's a long project and it's going in the right direction.’