Chelsea v Cardiff City: 5 Talking points

A hat-trick from Eden Hazard proved to be too much for newcomers Cardiff City as Chelsea thumped them by 4-1 in a game that saw footballing genius from the home side, along with chunks of possession that they enjoyed.

Willian netted a screamer after coming off the bench to cap off a fine victory. For Cardiff City, centre-half Souleymane Bamba scored. Here are the talking points from this game where 'Sarrismo' was in full force.

#1 Cardiff City start positively and nick one past Chelsea

A positive start for the Bluebirds

Cardiff took their share of possession with a positive attitude. Right from the start, they alerted everyone with their long balls, physical challenges and long throw-ins. Against many predictions, the visitors didn't just sit back and attempt to play deep.

Their full-backs played in advanced positions and offered energy down either flanks. Diagonals, straight lofted passes, hold up play from Ward were part of their early pressure. Then came a set-piece. The ball was lofted to the near post, which then fell to Sol Bamba, who stuck a foot out and shocked every single soul at Stamford Bridge by making the breakthrough.

There was nothing attractive about the passage of play. It was simple, training ground routine with first two balls being won. The Blues then shifted gears, recycled possession repeatedly but were kept at bay by a stubborn Cardiff back line and Neil Etheridge's spectacular saves.

Moments after the goal, Kovacic let one fly from the right but was denied by the opposition keeper. The same man again found himself in a one-vs-one with the shot-stopper, who made himself big to deny the Spaniard his first Chelsea goal.

#2 Chelsea tend to show complacency in the early stages of their games

Chelsea were shocked by the first goal

One thing that can be spoken about with conviction is Chelsea's quality. Although they completely outclassed their opponents in the first-half to take the lead, the home side didn't start with the same urgency and intensity. Unfortunately for Sarri, it is an issue he must address because this isn't the first time it has happened this season.

They started their season away at Huddersfield. Although the score line read 3-0, Sarri's side weren't the most convincing at the back. They took time to thread passes together, commit bodies forward and break the deadlock. The match against Arsenal is an exception, as they netted two early goals.

Against Newcastle, Chelsea had to wait till the 76th minute to score past the Magpies. In the entirety of the first-half, despite seeing a lot of the ball, they couldn't quite find a way through a packed Newcastle defence. The same followed at home versus Bournemouth, when the Blues took their own sweet time to settle into the game, before realizing that they needed a goal.

#3 The difference between Alvaro Morata and Olivier Giroud

Giroud grabbed his opportunity with both hands

After Morata had just one goal in his four games so far, Sarri decided to deploy Olivier Giroud upfront, and boy did he impress. Giroud was always involved in the build-up. He came off his lines, interchanged passes and play one-twos inside the box.

Alvaro Morata is a quality forward too. He like to spin off the back of defenders, inject pace into proceedings and relies on his movement. However, what Giroud offered in this match was something unique.

He wasted no time in getting his passes away. The former Arsenal forward fed Eden Hazard for his first two goals and continued to contribute to the Sarri'ball'. Not only did he perform these tasks, but also out-muscled the opposition center-backs. He also pressed the Bluebirds' back line down and won possession back. All in all, Giroud seems to be more complete than Morata.

#4 The center-back partnership of Luiz and Rudiger seems to be getting better

Chelsea FC v AFC Bournemouth - Premier League

A lot of eyebrows were raised when Sarri opted for the out-of-favour David Luiz alongside Antonio Rudiger at the heart of defence. The duo have taken time to settle in together as partners, but seem to have now added solidity to their game.

Although both of them are world-class center backs, a few of Chelsea's goals so far have seen a lot of fingers pointed at Luiz for his lapse in concentration and lack of communication. In this game though, they looked more comfortable at the back.

Both of them were astute in terms of their positional game. They set themselves up well along with the others during set-pieces. They stood firm, won aerial duels, passes around safely and put up a fine shift at the back. Apart from the victory, this is something to smile about for the Blues' fans.

#5 Eden Hazard steals the show

Is there any stopping him?

Above, you are seeing an absolute genius, a magician.

Right when the chances were not going in for Chelsea and it looked like it would be one of those frustrating afternoons, Eden Hazard worked his magic. Prior to his stunning goals, Hazard was everywhere in terms of contribution. The 27-year-old linked up play, knit passes and one-twos many a time, infused a cutting edge and ran at the Cardiff defence.

Then came his goals. The ball was played to his path, but he smartly left it to draw defenders out and play Giroud. The striker then returned it to him and Hazard, used his technique to fake a white shirt and launch a shot. From the edge of the box, he took his shot away and buried it into the bottom corner.

The second one was on the back of a string of quick, one-touch passes. Giroud found himself in space, but instead of taking another second or two, he fed it to Hazard, who netted another one. He then sent Etheridge the wrong way to complete his hat-trick.

For the rest of the match, the Belgian wriggled past opponents, created chances and continued to impress the Chelsea fans.