Xabi Alonso believes Chelsea produced a complete performance against Bournemouth and praised Jordan Henderson's display after the midfielder struck 'two beauties' in our 5-1 win at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues returned to action following the three-week international break and made a historically quick start against the Cherries, with Henderson and then Morgan Rogers both scoring inside the opening three minutes.
With our earliest two-goal lead in the Premier League era established, Alonso's side took control of the game. Yet it wasn't until a minute into the second period that our third goal arrived - Joao Pedro striking a powerful finish after good work from Pedro Neto.
Evanilson pulled a goal back for the visitors, but the Blues showed the right response. Joao Pedro grabbed his second after an excellent Pep Chavarria cross and Henderson then whipped in an expertly taken 25-yard free-kick to round off the scoring.
After the disappointment of our display at Brentford before the international window, Alonso was pleased with the performance from his side, which he felt had control and solidity.
'Today was a complete performance,' he said. 'We were in control for most parts of the game, so I’m happy with that.
'We had good stability. In defence, there were a couple of situations in the first half and for eight minutes in the second, after conceding the goal, we were not in control until we made it 4-1. But overall, I'm happy with the control and the performance.
'There are many positives to take into the future and to keep going.'
Chelsea have made a habit this season of scoring early goals, and those netted within three minutes against the Cherries gave us our earliest two-goal lead in Premier League history. Yet Alonso humbly accepted that our impressive starts are not something he has designed.
He said: 'We always try to start the game in the right way and with good energy, but I have no explanation and no credit to me.
'It’s never happened to me that in such a short period we score so many early goals, so let’s see if we can keep doing that. But after the goals, many things still have to happen [to make sure of victory].'
Henderson's impact during his home Chelsea debut extended beyond the goals he scored, which Alonso emphasised after the game.
The Blues manager said of the 36-year-old: 'We signed him for everything and if he’s able to score two beauties as he did today, we're more than happy for him.
'But apart from the goals, he has done many good things. Take away the goals and it was a very good midfield performance, always involved in the actions, giving solutions to the team-mates with the way he plays and how he communicates with the players around, and with Moi [Caicedo].
'It was important for Moi to play minutes. We were in a situation where we could adjust his load in the first days [after his return to action]. So, a lot of good news from today, and we keep on going.'