Although Mourinho used his players extensively during pre season, and the Chelsea faithful got the chance to have a look at all the new signings, in addition to a few youth academy prospects, those games were, after all, just friendlies. The first competitive match for the new look Chelsea was the Premier League opener against Burnley.

Newly promoted Burnley weren’t exactly the acid test for a rejuvenated Chelsea side, but they werne’t going down easily on their home turf either! The game opened with opportunities for both sides, but Burnley opened the scoring when the Blues failed to clear a corner and the ball landed on the feet of Scott Arfield, who finished exquisitely as Courtois had no chance of saving his volley.

Burnley finished in the top half of the Championship in 2013, and they built on it and finished second in the 2014 season. Part of this feat was due to their defense and the fact that they made it very difficult for opponents to score against them at home.

When Chelsea signed Diego Costa, even after his injury problems towards the end of last season and a poor World Cup, fingers were raised. However, after a good pre season, this was the first chance he had to prove a point.

An Ivanovic cross was deflected by a defender on to the post, and the rebound fell to Diego Costa, who made no mistake. A couple of minutes after the Burnley goal, Chelsea had equalized. Was it an indication that that had found the goal poacher that they were sorely missing?

The Francesc magic

His involvement in the game just grew from then on. After a quick run by Eden Hazard past the Burnley defense, the ball fell to Ivanovic, who passed to Fabregas. Fabregas chipped the ball to Schurrle, who had timed his run perfectly to put it past Heaton. Just like that, Chelsea had taken the lead.

It has been a long time since someone with so much brilliance has played for Chelsea. Every time he touches the ball, it seems that something magical is about to happen. Mourinho mentioned earlier that he’s the missing piece in the Chelsea puzzle. Perhaps Mourinho’s right — as he mostly is.

The Serbian response

It’s too early to say if Chelsea are going to win the Premier League title with this complete looking team. But one thing is certain ? Boring, boring Chelsea? Not anymore.

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