A Tammy Abraham hat-trick earned Chelsea three points after an emphatic 5-2 win away at Wolves.
Fikayo Tomori and Mason Mount also scored either side of Abraham’s flurry to cap off a memorable performance from the Blues, as the academy graduates continued to deliver for Frank Lampard.
Here are the talking points from Molineux following the seven-goal thriller.
System change settles backline
Chelsea elected to play with a back three for the first time this season. As they went into the break 3-0 up, it seemed it had solved so many problems.
Marcos Alonso made his first start of the season, and although his defensive frailties were still very much on show, the wing-back position suits the Spaniard to a tee - showcased when a glorious cross set up Chelsea’s third.
However, the star of the show in the new system was Tomori. Making only his second start for the Blues, the central defender’s stunning 30-yard effort kicked his side into gear, and from there they didn’t look back.
Tomori was the driving force behind Chelsea’s second just two minutes later, when he drove through the Wolves midfield, finding Mount who in turn teed up Abraham for a simple finish.
Adopting the role of the ‘overlapping centre-back’, the England U21 international was a composed figure throughout the match, including when he was needed most during the hosts’ mini revivial.
Antonio Rudiger’s untimely replacement at half-time will worry fans, however Kurt Zouma, who had been under heavy criticism all season, slotted in astutely.
Another man who has been under fire this season is captain Cesar Azpilicueta. With defensive cover behind ‘Dave’, Chelsea looked far more assured at the back despite the two goals conceded.
Tammy shows his class
Without trying to jinx anything, the curse of the No.9 shirt at Stamford Bridge is looking like a thing of the past.
The England international scored a “perfect” hat-trick according to Lampard, with a close range finish, a header, and a goal showing his individual class and strength on the ball.
He currently sits in poll position in the scoring charts in the Premier League with seven goals, and seems to be brimming with confidence after not scoring in Chelsea’s first three games.
Abraham bullied Conor Coady, Jesus Vallejo and Roman Saiss all afternoon with his back to goal, as he brought Mount and Willian into the game time after time.
With Liverpool up next in the league, it’ll be interesting to see how the man in form does against a stronger defence.
The youth shine once again
This new-look Chelsea side are becoming increasingly entertaining to watch, and the majority of that has come from academy graduates.
Tomori added his name to the list of youth starlets to score this season for the Blues, as Abraham and Mount increased their tallies.
Lampard spoke in his post-match press conference about the job done to integrate the academy system with the main squad, and they’re now beginning to form the foundations of his new-look Chelsea side.