Two goals from Nicolas Jackson helped Chelsea ease past London rivals West Ham United 3-0 in Saturday's early kick-off.
The Blues assumed control of proceedings at London Stadium after just four minutes as Jackson combined with Jadon Sancho to punish dozy defending from the home side. The 23-year-old doubled his tally soon after, latching on to Moises Caicedo's slide-rule pass before arcing a wonderful outside-of-the-boot finish past Alphonse Areola.
Chelsea were in seventh heaven when Cole Palmer slammed home a third just after the interval, capping a fantastic away performance for Enzo Maresca's side.
How the game unfolded
Maresca made three changes to the Chelsea side that beat Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium, handing Sancho a first start alongside recalls for Enzo Fernandez and Tosin Adarabioyo.
And it didn't take long for the former Manchester United winger to make an impact as West Ham fell behind for the fourth time in five games under Julen Lopetegui.
The Hammers switched off after Konstantinos Mavropanos committed a foul in Chelsea's half, allowing Jackson to play a quick one-two with Sancho before the Senegalese striker raced through on goal. Having outpaced West Ham's retreating defence, he slid the ball past Areola from a tight angle to stun the home crowd into silence.
Palmer could have made it two minutes later, firing just wide of Areola's far post after more good work from Sancho, but Chelsea didn't have to wait long as gaping holes in West Ham's defence allowed Jackson to score a second.
Caicedo's perfectly weighted through ball took Edson Alvarez out of the equation and Jackson fired home brilliantly with the outside of his boot to put Chelsea 2-0 up inside 20 minutes.
The impressive Mohammed Kudus had a goal ruled off for West Ham and Crysencio Summerville had a decent penalty appeal turned down by referee Sam Barrott, but that was as good as it got for the home side as Chelsea put the game to bed a minute after the half-time interval.
Poor judgment from Mavropanos allowed Chelsea to spring forward on the counter, with Jackson eventually feeding the ball into Palmer. He rifled the ball in off the inside of Areola's near post, reinforcing his supreme composure in front of goal.
Maresca could afford to make a raft of changes thereafter, disrupting the flow of the game somewhat, but his side were well worth the win against a desperately disappointing West Ham.
West Ham player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Alphonse Areola - 6/10 - Pretty helpless for all three West Ham goals, though he may feel disappointed to have let Palmer's in at the near post. Did make one terrific stop.
RB: Aaron Wan-Bissaka - 5/10 - Was instructed to press high against Cucurella, which invariably left him scampering back at pace to try and cover off Sancho. A systemic issue rather than a problematic individual showing.
CB: Konstantinos Mavropanos - 2/10 - Pressed far too high, far too often and rarely got his foot on the ball. Gaping holes left by the Greek were ruthlessly exploited.
CB: Max Kilman - 4/10 - A rather difficult afternoon for the former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain. Needs a fit Jean Clair-Todibo alongside him, pronto.
LB: Emerson - 5/10 - Got into some decent attacking positions but quality was missing to unlock the Chelsea door.
DM: Edson Alvarez - 3/10 - Asked to cover the pressing Mavropanos and was nowhere near up to the task. Wading through treacle most of the time.
DM: Guido Rodriguez - 4/10 - Played around far too easily by a mobile, engaged Chelsea midfield. Hooked before the half-time interval.
RM: Mohammed Kudus - 7/10 - A real bright spark in an otherwise deflating, dispiriting performance. Will be heading onto pastures new sooner rather than later if he continues to stand out so much.
AM: Lucas Paqueta - 5/10 - Didn't offer the quality that West Ham needed on the ball and attempted to be too intricate at times.
LM: Crysencio Summerville - 6/10 - Looked bright on the left flank, perhaps feeling he had a point to prove on his first West Ham start. Afternoon ended prematurely as Lopetegui reacted to conceding a third.
CF: Jarrod Bowen (c) - 5/10 - Played centrally as many West Ham fans have been calling for but found himself a touch isolated against a well-drilled Chelsea defence.
Substitutes
SUB: Tomas Soucek (37' for Rodriguez) - 6/10 - Brought on to try and stabilise West Ham's wide -open midfield but the damage was already done. Did okay.
SUB: Carlos Soler (54' for Alvarez) - 5/10 - Fairly anonymous as Chelsea hit cruise control in the later stages of the game.
SUB: Michail Antonio (54' for Summerville) - 6/10 - Offered a different threat for Chelsea to combat with his movement and overall presence.
SUB: Aaron Cresswell (73' for Emerson) - 5/10
SUB: Andy Irving (73' for Paqueta) - 5/10
Subs not used: Lukasz Fabianski (GK), Vladimir Coufal, Danny Ings, Jean-Clair Todibo
Manager
Julen Lopetegui: 2/10 - Got it all wrong by asking Mavropanos and Wan-Bissaka to press high against Chelsea's midfield. Jackson ran riot as a result, ably supported by Sancho, Palmer and Caicedo. Made alterations but had already lost West Ham the game.
Chelsea player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Robert Sanchez - 7/10 - Decent distribution from Chelsea's goalkeeper, barring one or two of the usual hair-raising moments, and smart handling.
RB: Wesley Fofana - 7/10 - Covered for injured duo Reece James and Malo Gusto at right-back and, barring a rather dubious looking arm pull on Summerville in the penalty area, did rather well.
CB: Tosin Adarabioyo - 7/10 - Will have had far more taxing afternoons of Barclays action but can still be happy with his work.
CB: Levi Colwill - 7/10 - Composed throughout, the future of Chelsea's defence is in safe hands with the 21-year-old.
LB: Marc Cucurella - 7/10 - Had the toughest task of the afternoon keeping Kudus quiet and did well for the most part. Niggly, gritty player that adds plenty of industry when inverting inside. Took a booking when needed.
DM: Moises Caicedo - 8/10 - Dominated the midfield battle against fragile, lethargic opposition. Wonderful defence-splitting pass for Jackson's second.
DM: Enzo Fernandez (c) - 7/10 - Outshone by his midfield partner but still mightily effective in a very efficient Chelsea display.
RM: Noni Madueke - 7/10 - A quieter afternoon out on Chelsea's right wing but showed flashes of his improving ability.
AM: Cole Palmer - 8/10 - Linked play up beautifully for Chelsea between the lines and took his goal supremely well. Fair to say his breakthrough year was no fluke.
LM: Jadon Sancho - 8/10 - Stretched the game at every opportunity, confidence seemingly restored after debut against Bournemouth. Seems to already have a good understanding with Jackson.
CF: Nicolas Jackson - 9/10 - Much was made of Chelsea's decision not to sign Victor Osimhen this summer. On this evidence? They don't need him. Jackson was brilliant, took his goals superbly and ran West Ham's backline ragged.
Substitutes
SUB: Axel Disasi (57' for Fofana) - 6/10 - Not troubled at all as West Ham switched their threat to focus on the right flank.
SUB: Pedro Neto (57' for Sancho) - 6/10 - Good minutes under the belt for Neto but he'll now be playing the role of substitute until he properly impacts a game.
SUB: Christopher Nkunku (63' for Jackson) - 6/10
SUB: Joao Felix (63' for Palmer) - 6/10
SUB: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (84' for Fernandez) - N/A
Subs not used: Filip Jorgensen (GK), Benoit Badiashile, Mykhailo Mudryk, Renato Veiga
Manager
Enzo Maresca: 8/10 - Probably couldn't believe his luck at how West Ham set their stall out. But take nothing away from Chelsea, who played with confidence, freedom and discipline. Promising signs for Maresca.
Player of the match: Nicolas Jackson (Chelsea)
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