Eden Hazard returned to the Chelsea side and rattled in a brace, the first goals of the season as a experienced-looking Chelsea dismantled Bournemouth 4-1 this afternoon on the South Coast.
Hazard was given a month to recuperate from injury and fatigue and looked sharp and devastating in front of goal.
But it as Pedro who opened the scoring before Hazard struck. Bournemouth quickly got themselves back in the game through Tommy Elphick, but the visitors showed their superior class and further strikes from Willian - a deft clipped effort and a smack home from close range by Hazard completed the scoring.
Bournemouth started like they meant business, constantly pushing the Chelsea rearguard back. Asmir Begovic, in for the suspended Thibaut Courtois had to make a series of kick-outs and blocks.
But, on five minutes, and straight after a home side attack, the Blues broke free.
The visitors raced up the field. Pedro, latched onto a Cesc Fabregas pass took two steps forward, and from the edge of the Cherries penalty area, cooly slotted home a defy, left-footer past a prone
Artur Boruc to put the Blue1-0 up.
That knocked the stuffing out of the home side and Chelsea started a period of sustained pressure.
Charlie Daniels saw the ball, from a well worked corner land straight in front of him. But from just inside the Chelsea penalty area, he blasted high over Begovic's crossbar.This was followed quickly by Steve Cook flashing a half-volley into a similarly row the stand behind the Chelsea goal.
Lewis Grabban could not get any power on a Marc Pugh byline cross and the striker's header drifted harmlessly into Begovic's hands as the home side applied some pressure of their own on 25 minutes.
King then had a snap header, on target, on 29 minutes but Begovic was in the right place and snaffled it Ito his midriff.
This was quickly followed by a Junior Stanislas effort, but his glancing header drifted wide.
But as before the Blues simpler went up the other end, and with Fabregas orchestrating the midfield, passed square to Eden Hazard, who drilled a know, daisy-cutter past Boruc and into the corner of the net to put the Blues 2-0 on 34 minutes.
That two goal buffer lasted 50 seconds as Tommy Elphick's downward header from yet mother corner, bounced over Begovic's desperate dive and into the net.
Begovic was again in action seconds later, parrying away a fierce King drive as Bournemouth went gun ho in search of the equaliser.
There were no changes of personnel at half-time.
The first effort of the restart fell to Diego Costa but his last-ditch lunge to get to a zipping left byline cross just eluded him.
But goal number three was always on the cards for Chelsea. And with 20 minutes on the clock, man of the match Fabregas slid a perfectly weighted ball to Willian on the right. The winger raced onto goal before clipping the perfect ball over the advancing Boruc.
As the clock indicated five additional minutes, the Blues net forward again. This time Matic cut through the Cherries defence before cutting the ball back to in-running hazard who rammed the ball home for goal number four.
Chelsea: Asmir Begovic, Branislav Ivanovic, Cesc Fabregas, Baba Rahman, Eden Hazard, John Obi Mikel, Pedro, Diego Costa, Nemanja Matic, Willianm Cesar Azpilicueta
Subs: Marco Amelia, Radamel Falcao, Alexandre Pato, Bertrand Traore, Kenedy, Matthew Miazga, Ruben Loftus-Cheek
Bournemouth: Artur Boruc, Francis, Cook, Goslingm Elphick, Surman, Pugh, Daniels, King, Stanislas, Grabban
Subs: Federici, Wilson, MacDonald, Afobe, Wiggins, Richie, O'Kane
Referee
Roger East