Eden Hazard scored a sensational hat-trick against Newcastle United at Stamford Bridge this afternoon as Chelsea returned to the top of the Premier League for the first time since the end of August with a 3-0 hammering of the Geordies.
While the hammering of Arsenal by Liverpool and Manchester City being held to a draw at Norwich City aided the Blues' cause, the west Londoners still had to do their job, and they did it with incredible professionalism and with clinical precision.
One man who could justifiable be compared to Lionel Messi and Ronaldo just now, Hazard, produced another scintillating performance. He opened the scoring on 27 minutes with a sweet strike. His second, seven minutes later was probably the best team goal the Blues have scored in a long time and could well become a signature goal under Mourinho.
The third came from the penalty spot.
Newcastle were without several stars who defeated Chelsea 2-0 at St James's Park in November and it showed.
They were organised but lacked any killer instinct when they had the half chances afforded to them from a side who was missing John Terry with a muscle injury.
Two minutes in and the Blues have the first chance on goal. Inevitably it's Eden Hazard who had the strike, a left -footer from just inside the Newcastle penalty area, but the effort was a weak one which failed to trouble Tim Krul.
A Frank Lampard 30-yard pile driver a minute later, that inched wide of Krul' right post signalled Chelsea's intent to start the game at a high tempo.
Nemanja Matic was caught in possession on five minutes allowing Moussa Sissoko to take a touch before letting fly from 35 yards. Petr Cech watched, almost amused as the ball sailed high over his crossbar. Hatem Ben Arfa forced Cech into a more standard save on nine minutes when the midfielder cut inside on the left and produced a low right-footer, that Cech was equal to.
A couple of speculative efforts from long distance, firstly by Ben Arfa and then on 20 minutes by Sissoko indicated that, on the count-attack, Newcastle would be happy to try their luck and hope for a break to go their way.
A brilliant break on 24 minutes by the Blues almost reaped dividends for Samuel Eto'o, but Krul managed to stick his foot out just as the Cameroon striker was about to tuck the ball home from close range after excellent set-up play on the right by Willian.
Oscar should have put Chelsea ahead after Matic broke up a Newcastle move and fed the Brazil midfielder the ball in the edge of the Newcastle penalty area. But he screwed the ball wide of Krul's right post.
But the breakthrough was always coming and it was Hazard who, on 27 minutes, sliced the ball wide on the right to Branislav Ivanovic. The Serbia defender cut the ball ball back first time across the edge of the area, where Hazard, who had made up 10 yards, stroked the ball home with an inch-perfect right-foot strike that sailed pasty the despairing dive of the Newcastle
goalkeeper to put the home side 1-0 up.
Newcastle almost got an equaliser within five minutes when Sissoko broke free of the. Heldea offside trap, but Cech managed to face out and deflect the ball away cep a corner.
With that cleared, the Blues straight away went up the other end and scored.
It was a sensational team goal - picking the ball up just outside his own penalty area, David
Luiz fed the ball to Willlian, who raced forward. He then tapped the ball on to Hazard on the left who then cut inside before receiving the ball from a deft one-two with Eto'o six-yards from goal before slotting the ball comfortably wide of Krul, nestling the ball in the corner of his left-hand side of the goal.
To add to Newcastle United's woes, defender Mathieu Debuchy limped off injured with five minutes left of the half, to be replaced by Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa.
Neither side made a change at half-time.
The Blues could have gone three up in comical fashion six minutes I to the second half, when a Luiz thump from deep in his own half sailed high over the Newcastle rearguard. Krul came to the edge of his area to claim a perfunctory save, but the slipped. Sadly for the in-running Oscar, the ball skidded ahead of him and just wide of Krul's goal.
Mike Williamson came to Newcastle's aid on 57 minutes after Eto'o latched onto a speculative pass by Ivanovic, the centre-back managed to throw his body onto the ball, slowing the pace of it, this allowing Krul to snap it up.
Krul was then on hand, literally to push over his crossbar a Lampard free kick. From the resultant corner from Lampard, on 62 minutes, Yanga-Mbiwa bizarrely and needlessly bundled over Eto'o in the penalty area.
Linesman Darren Cann spotted the infringement and immediately signalled a penalty.
Referee Howard Webb decided against brandishing a yellow card to Yanga-Mbiwa who minutes earlier has received one for upending Ivanovic.
Lampard, who is the official Chelsea penalty-taker handed the ball to Hazard, who with his customarily cool aplomb slotted the spot kick wide of Krul to give him his hat trick and more importantly a third goal for Chelsea.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew instantly replaced Ben Arfa with Dan Gosling. Jose Mourinho brought on Demba Ba for Eto'o three minutes later on 62 minutes.
With 15 minutes left in the game, Mourinho brought on Mohamed Salah for his Stamford Bridge bow, replacing Willian.
A double substitution followed with eight minutes on the clock, one for each side. German Andre Schurrle came on for Hazard, while Frenchman Sylvain Marveaux replaced Vurnon Anita.
Salah almost scored with his first touch. But his left-footer was inches wide of goal.
And again, with his second, but this time Krul made a fine save from a one-on-one situation.
Sissoko entered Webb's book late on for a foul on Oscar, but by then his team were well beaten.
Next up for the league leaders is a tricky trip, on Tuesday evening to WBA.
Teams: Chelsea, Cech, Ivanovic, Luiz, Lampard, Oscar, Hazard, Matic, Willian, Cahill, Azpilicueta, Eto'o
Subs, Schwarzer, Cole, Ramires, Mikel, Schurrle, Salah, Ba
Newcastle, Krul, Santon, Williamson, Sissoko, Anita, Ben Arfa, De Jong, Debuchy, Taylor, Ameobi (Sammy) Dummett
Subs, Elliot, Yanga-Mbiwa, Gosling, Haifara, Marveaux, Ameobi (Shola) Armstrong
Referee, Howard Webb
Ends