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Eden Hazard struck twice with Alvaro Morata and Marcos Alonso joining him on the scoresheet and Chelsea thumped West Bromwich Albion 4-0. The Baggies started off the game well but could not do anything to once the Premier League champions took charge of the game.
It all started when Gareth Barry stamped on Hazard's foot and the Belgian was furious as the referee did not give a foul. The anger along with boo's from the crowd made the Chelsea man determined to prove a point and his thunderstrike from 25 yards out led to Chelsea's first goal.
He then latched on to a beautiful backheel assist by Morata to score Chelsea's second and right before half-time, Alonso scored from Cesc Fabregas' freekick. Hazard scored another in the second half to seal the game.
Here are the talking points from the match:
#5 – Conte's changes are working
Last season, Conte switched to a 3-4-3 after a humiliating defeat to Arsenal. This season, it's the losses to AS Roma that have triggered the change.
The Italian has opted to use his favourite 3-5-2 formation at the club despite not having enough players to play regularly with this formation. The manager has opted to go with Hazard and Morata upfront with Fabregas, Kante and Bakayoko teaming up in the midfield.
The switch has seen Chelsea become more free-flowing and also more solid at the back. Christensen's confidence on the ball and no sloppy movement has made it even better for The Blues.
#4 – Goodbye Tony Pulis?
Pulis might have guided West Bromwich Albion to a 10th placed finish last season (their best finish in four years) but has failed to start the season the way they ended the last one. He now faces uncertainty over his future.
The fans boo'd the team at halftime and again at full time. The Baggies faithful were making things clear to the owners, who were sitting in the stands.
West Brom currently sit 17th in the table – one point ahead of West Ham who play tonight. Should the Hammers grab a win vs Watford, it would push the Baggies to the relegation zone – a worrying sign for any club!
#3 – Cesc Fabregas is back to his best
If there's one player who's benefited the most with Antonio Conte's tactical change, it's Cesc Fabregas. The midfielder has got the freedom to do what he likes to do the most as he has to contribute very little to the defence.
The Spaniard registered two assists vs West Brom last night and was clearly the best player on the pitch after Eden Hazard. The fact that he has won back the Chelsea fans who were asking for his sale when the season began itself proves how good he's been in the last two games.
The midfielder was playing second fiddle to Nemanja Matic last season and there were rumours that he was looking for a move away. Even in the summer when he had offers to leave Stamford Bridge, he stayed and fought his way back into the starting XI – something every manager expects from his players.
#2 – What next for West Brom?
The only thing that is certain about West Bromwich Albion's situation right now is the sacking of Tony Pulis. The manager might not be in charge of the club when they travel to face Tottenham but is that the only change required?
The club brought in players in the summer with Gareth Barry and Keiran Gibbs bringing in experience, Jay Rodriguez bringing in attacking options and Olivier Bluke bringing the excitement with a young signing.Along with that, they also got Hegazy and Krychowiak on loan but none of them have impressed so far.
The new manager will have a tough task of finding the right formation to play these players in and it will be very interesting to see where the Baggies finish this season.
#5 – Conte celebrates 50 Premier League games
Last night's game was Antonio Conte's 50th Premier League game in charge of Chelsea. The Italian has won 38 of the matches and drawn just 4. He's suffered 8 losses in the league – three already in this season!
Last season, Chelsea went on a 13 match unbeaten streak after the manager changed the formation and the fans would be expecting a similar thing this season as well. The 3-5-2 was deployed against Manchester United 2 weeks ago and has been very effective so far.
Should the Premier League champions go another 13 match winning streak, it'd be a very interesting season towards to the end.
One payer who's played in all the games under Conte is Cesar Azpilicueta. The Spaniard has played in three different positions for the manager and has been the more trustworthy player at the club for the manager.
