Xabi Alonso watched Chelsea beat Bournemouth 5-1 with joy
Jordan Henderson impressed in Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Bournemouth. The 36-year-old midfielder, signed by the Blues after his contract at Brentford expired in the summer, perfectly silenced his critics by stealing the show at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.
Henderson broke the deadlock in the first minute or so, bending the ball into the top corner from the edge of the box. Around 90 seconds later, the England international picked out Morgan Rogers, cut in from the left and found the same right-hand corner with a little help from the crown of Antonio Silva’s head.
Later in the second half, Henderson showed his quality again when he rose to take a free-kick in front of the Matthew Harding stand. Putting the cherry on top of a brilliant performance, the Liverpool legend curled the ball over the wall and past Djordje Petrovic.
Cole Palmer, who signed a lucrative new contract hours before the game and extended his stay until at least June 2034, was expected to take center stage, but it was Henderson who took center stage. Xabi Alonso certainly raised eyebrows when he agreed to sign the veteran, having previously missed out on top target Granit Xhaka.
FOLLOW OUR CHELSEA FB PAGE! Latest Blues news, analysis and more via our dedicated Facebook page
But Henderson has already had the last laugh, demonstrating exactly why he has been added to the engine room. So with the help of Opta football.london Here’s a look at Henderson’s game by the numbers.
- Along with scoring two goals and one assist, Henderson also had one interception, one blocked shot, two key passes, won two aerial duels and recorded three clearances. The Blues midfielder also covered 12km, more ground than any other player.
- It was only in April 1998 that Emile Heskey for Derby County scored and assisted before Henderson did the feat after less than two-and-a-half minutes in a Premier League game.
- Henderson became the oldest player to score three straight goals in a Premier League match since Cristiano Ronaldo, who did so against Norwich City at Manchester United in April 2022, and became the oldest club in England.
- In doing so, Henderson, aged 36 years and 115 days, broke the club record previously held by the late Gianluca Vialli at 33 years and 245 days.
- For the second time in his Premier League career, Henderson has scored three goals in a single match with 465 games in the tank. The last time he achieved such success was more than 13 years ago, in April 2013, when “Liverpool” met “Newcastle”.
Alonso was delighted with the Chelsea midfielder’s “excellent” performance. Speaking to reporters after the game, the Blues manager praised Henderson and explained the importance of his link-up with Moises Caicedo in the double loop.
“We signed him for everything,” Alonso said jokingly when asked if the former Liverpool and Brentford midfielder had been signed for his goals. “If he can hit two nice ones today, we’re very happy for him.
“But apart from the goals, he did very, very good things. I think it was a very good performance today.”
Alonso continued: “I think that taking the goals, he gave a very midfield performance, always involved in the movements, always giving solutions to his teammates. The way he plays, he has to communicate with the players around him.”
Asked how Henderson and Caicedo complement each other, Alonso replied: “Both are different in terms of quality but also in terms of position. I think they help each other well and give presence, stability.
“You know they will [who] they will help the rest, not only because of their qualities, but because they understand the game. They can play in shorter spaces but are well balanced in defence.
“For me it’s important that we strengthen this area and certainly Moises and Hendo played today, it was his second game. Romeo [Lavia] also, he played some good minutes, reece [James] played a little there for a few minutes and [Valentin] Barco, so we have to continue to build around that.”
It’s time to give Henderson the flowers…