Chelsea produced a ruthless attacking display to beat Bournemouth 5-1 at Stamford Bridge, with 36-year-old Jordan Henderson stealing the headlines with two goals and an assist on his home debut.
The former Liverpool captain, who joined from Brentford in the summer, set the tone inside the opening minute when Cole Palmer carried the ball forward unopposed, turned in the box and squared it to Henderson, who finished first time off the far post. It was the quickest possible response to any doubts about whether the veteran midfielder could still influence matches at this level.
Chelsea were not finished there. Straight from the restart they threatened again, with Pedro Neto denied by goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, before Henderson slid a pass out to Morgan Rogers. The England international cut inside from the left and curled a shot that deflected in off Antonio Silva, making it 2-0 with barely two and a half minutes on the clock.
Bournemouth, who arrived having lost just once in their previous 13 visits to London, slowly found their footing and came close to a reply before the break. Rayan burst through on goal only to be denied by Emiliano Martínez, who then reacted sharply to block the rebound from Ryan Christie as well.
Any hopes of a fightback were extinguished almost immediately after the restart. Just 40 seconds into the second half, Neto skipped past Silva down the byline and squared for João Pedro to tap home Chelsea's third.
Bournemouth pulled one back shortly after when Moisés Caicedo's attempted clearance off a corner cannoned in off Evanilson, offering the visitors brief encouragement. But Chelsea restored their three-goal cushion in the 67th minute, Rogers releasing Pep Chavarria down the left flank, whose low cross was turned in by João Pedro for his second of the afternoon.
Henderson capped off the rout with a moment of real quality, bending a free-kick beyond Petrovic's reach to make it 5-1 and complete a personal double to match that of João Pedro. The strike drew comparisons to the kind of set-piece Henderson once delivered for England and Liverpool, and made him Chelsea's oldest Premier League scorer since John Terry in 2017.
Speaking after the match, head coach Xabi Alonso explained the thinking behind bringing the experienced midfielder to Stamford Bridge. "We signed him for everything," Alonso said. "If he's able to score two beauties as today, we are more than happy for him. But apart from the goals he's done many good things. He's always involved in the action, always giving solutions to teammates."
The win lifted Chelsea to fifth in the table and ended a run of just one victory in their previous four league outings. Palmer, who had earlier confirmed a contract extension keeping him at the club until 2034, played a part in setting the tone early on, though Alonso's side were markedly more balanced with both Henderson and a returning Caicedo, back from a calf injury, orchestrating things in midfield.
For Bournemouth, the result continues a difficult start to life under new manager Marco Rose following Andoni Iraola's departure. The Cherries remain without a win in six league games, though goal difference keeps them out of the relegation zone for now. Rose acknowledged his side's sluggish start allowed Chelsea to dictate terms. "We knew Chelsea are a team that starts well," he said. "It was our responsibility that we didn't react the right way with this information."
Based on reporting from Guardian Football and Standard Football.