Chelsea returned to winning ways against Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon and Jordan Henderson inspired the Blues on his Stamford Bridge debut for the club.
A much-needed victory for Chelsea, their first in the league since August 30, beat the struggling Cherries by five goals to 1. Henderson scored either side of half-time, Joao Pedro also scored twice and Morgan Rogers also scored for the capital.
It was the perfect start for the hosts, who took a 2-0 lead in the west London sun. Henderson scored a fine goal a minute after being dismissed by Cole Palmer and it was two quickly for Chelsea when Rogers’ effort was deflected into his own net by Bournemouth defender Antonio Silva. It was Rodgers’ goal and his fourth for Chelsea.
It was a start from Chelsea; Henderson’s goal came after one minute and six seconds and Rogers scored at two minutes and 29 seconds.
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Chelsea then made the perfect start to the second half when Joao Pedro headed past Djordje Petrovic 30 seconds into the restart. However, Bournemouth found a few moments of hope when Evanilson scored after the Blues failed to clear a corner.
The Blues regained momentum in the match when Joao Pedro scored his second goal of the game after Pep Chavarria’s excellent work down the left flank. Henderson then scored his second goal, a corner kick from about 25 yards out.
below, Bobby Vincent “Chelsea” rated its players out of 10 based on their performance.
Emiliano Martinez – After just one meeting with the team, Martinez retained his place in goal. The keeper made a fine double stop on 35 minutes denying first Ryan and then Ryan Christie. A big moment in the game. Overall there is not much to do. 7
Josh Acheampong – Wesley nodded to Fofana. Possessed the ball and looked to attack whenever possible. Solid. 6
Maxence Lacroix – The Frenchman always looked to be on the front foot and take the ball away from the Bournemouth forwards, usually Evanilson. But it wasn’t his most convincing performance and Martinez’s double save was almost caught off-guard in the first half. 6
Levi Colwill – Colwill performed better than recent performances. There was definitely progress there. He won several important headers. There’s still a lot to come from Colwill, but a step in the right direction. 6
Pedro Neto – The Portuguese again started at right-back and once again performed well. Neto’s recovery saw him get the better of Silva on the right to make it 3-0 before the Chelsea winger cut the ball back to Joao Pedro. 7
Moises Caicedo – The first start of the season was a big boost for the Blues. Simply put, Chelsea look like a more reliable team with Caicedo, and that’s no surprise. However, it should be noted that Caicedo’s clearance hit Evanilson for the Brazilian’s goal. It wasn’t just Ecuador’s fault, but I felt he could have done a bit better, but at the same time, it’s pretty harsh to blame him. 6
Jordan Henderson – Last time he made his debut against Brentford, he kept his place in midfield. Alonso’s confidence was immediately replaced by the Englishman hitting the post from the edge of the box just over a minute later. The 36-year-old saw most of the ball and dictated the tempo of the game at times. Henderson then capped the second half with a fantastic free-kick. Man of the Match. 9
Pep Chavarria – The Spaniard looks better every game. He is very good on the ball and active defensively. Excellent pass from Chavarria to set up Joao Pedro’s second of the game. 8
Cole Palmer – On the day of his contract extension, Palmer played a big role in the game’s opening goal in which he dismissed Henderson. Not the best, but it didn’t need to be. A little quiet compared to his attacking counterparts, but not a bad performer at all. It was truly gratuitous to let Henderson take the free-kick for the midfielder’s second goal. 6
Morgan Rogers – The £117m signing got off to the perfect start and continued his incredible start to the season, as he flicked the ball towards the back post – whether it was a shot or a cross, only he will know – before Silva headed home. Other than that, he was brilliant everywhere. £117 million is a bargain. 8
João Pedro – To the relief of FPL fans across the country, Joao Pedro was brought into the starting line-up after suffering a knee injury. The Brazilian did not disappoint. After a quiet first half, it didn’t take long for the 25-year-old to come alive in the second half when he fired the ball into the top corner to make it three for Chelsea. He restarted in the 67th minute, tapping in Chavarria’s pass. 9
Marco Palestra (for Joao Pedro 72′) – It’s great to see him finally debut. Energy bags on the right. 6
Romeo Lavia (for Caicedo 72′) – He came and did the job required. 6
Estevao Willian (for Rogers 84′) – Fans would love to see more. There is no
Danny Welbeck (Welbeck in the 84th minute) – A few more minutes for the 35-year-old. There is no
Malo Gusto (for Palmer 88′) – A few minutes to the French number 10. There is no