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Scoreline: Huddersfield Town 0-3 Chelsea
Goal-scorers - N'Golo Kante 34',Jorginho 45' (pen), Pedro 80'
Chelsea cruised to a comfortable win in Maurizio Sarri's first game in charge of the season at the John Smith's Stadium against Huddersfield Town earlier today. The Blues mastered their new system to perfection early on in the second half as they looked comfortable in possession and dominated proceedings without much discomfort.
N'Golo Kante, one of the pioneers in France's World Cup campaign, opened the scoring in the 34th minute when he got on the end of a delightful ball into the area from Willian to break the deadlock. Chelsea's continued attacking foray helped them earn a penalty right at the stroke of half-time after Christopher Schindler's mistimed lunge brought down Marcos Alonso inside the area.
Jorginho, who followed Sarri from Naples to West London, made no mistake from the spot when he shouldered the responsibility to extend the visitors' lead on his Premier League debut. Chelsea benefited tremendously from the introduction of their talisman, Eden Hazard, in the second half and added a third when the Belgian made one of his signature daring runs from midfield to feed it to Pedro, who dispatched a neat finish over Ben Hamer in goal for the Terriers to put the game beyond any doubt.
The result propelled Chelsea to the summit of the league table while it looks like Huddersfield Town will have to fight tooth and nail to survive in the top-flight this year. Without further delay, let's take a closer look at the major talking points from the game:
#1 Sarriball has arrived!
Chelsea's pre-season woes in front of goal vanished into thin air as Sarriball did not take too long to hit top gear. Maurizio Sarri's tried and tested 4-3-3 formation helped the Blues establish a free-flowing possession based game at the John Smith's Stadium.
Despite the absence of Eden Hazard from the starting line-up, Chelsea looked ambitious with the ball at their feet and relentlessly pushed forward whenever they sensed an opportunity. The change in the system seems to have benefited the team in general and the results were quite evident on the pitch as Chelsea romped past a hapless home side.
Furthermore, the early signs in pre-season which suggested that Chelsea might need more testing and trying before they finally play together as a unit was eventually banished when the side came out in the second half with further panache to add to their first half exploits.
#2 Huddersfield might be an early contender for the relegation scrap
Huddersfield Town just about survived the relegation scrap last season and it did not come as a surprise when many of the pundits had predicted them to be one of the candidates who will be fighting for survival this time around. If the performance against Chelsea is anything to go by, then there is no doubt in the fact that David Wagner will have his task cut-out yet again in their bid for survival.
The Terriers never looked like troubling Chelsea during the afternoon and were eventually let down and punished for their woeful defending that looked lacklustre, to say the least. From the marking that left Kante unmarked for the opening goal to Christopher Schindler's irresponsible lunge that led to the first half penalty, the defending from Huddersfield was quite below par and it could prove to be a worrying sign in the future.
#3 Kante packs a punch alongside Jorginho in midfield
Chelsea's midfield three have been the subject of a lot of assessment ahead of the upcoming season and although Mateo Kovacic is yet to make an appearance in Chelsea colours, the combination of Jorginho and N'Golo Kante looks like a formidable one already. The inclusion of Chelsea's new regista in the 4-3-3 system now means that Kante is allowed more freedom to get forward with the ball and the approach paid in dividends for Chelsea during their build-up to the opening goal.
Jorginho and Kante, with the addition of Kovacic, could prove to be one of the most effective midfield trifectas in the league if they manage to quickly get on the same wavelength and hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge. While Kante and Jorginho are expected to be the automatic selections every week, the spot for a third midfielder will be hotly contested among the likes of Kovacic, Ross Barkley, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Cesc Fabregas.
A welcome headache to have for any manager, to say the least.
#4 Chelsea keep a clean sheet but they were hardly made to sweat
Despite the horror-show against Manchester City in the Community Shield last weekend, Maurizio Sarri decided to go with Antonio Rudiger and David Luiz at the heart of Chelsea's defence in a back four that consisted of Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, who looked average all throughout pre-season.
It is understood that Sarri rates both Luiz and Rudiger ahead of Andreas Christensen due to the duo's ability to get forward with the ball but many believed that it could become a costly gamble considering their momentary lapses in concentration that pop out of nowhere. However, the lack of intent and flair upfront for Huddersfield ensured that the Chelsea defence was never really put to test and allowed them to complement each other pretty effectively on the pitch.
Despite the fact that they came out clean on the other side without conceding a goal, it is undoubtedly a concern for games against opposition of the highest quality especially considering the calamities that came to light against the defending champions last weekend.
#5 The early signs are promising for Sarri but the real test awaits
Maurizio Sarri might have cruised to a comfortable 3-0 win in his opening fixture of the season but the gulf in class between the two sides stood out quite glaringly in the end and he will know that Chelsea can't afford to be complacent ahead of their tie against Arsenal next week.
Chelsea are still under transition and the rebuilding process is still only taking shape with the Gunners proving to be their next hurdle in the quest. A lot will depend on how Unai Emery, another newcomer in London, adjusts to the hustle and bustle of the Premier League but it promises to be an enticing encounter nonetheless.
The thrilling cameo on offer from Eden Hazard, who came off the bench in the second half to provide the assist to Chelsea's final goal, will be a welcome sign for Chelsea as they try to recapture their devastating form. However, a new look Arsenal will be a bigger stumbling block than the Terriers and a favourable result for either side will do their confidence a world of good.
