He comes from sunny Spain, he’s better than Harry Kane”, was the new chant from Chelsea’s supporters.
There was the proof, if it was needed, that Diego Costa has finally been consigned to history and Chelsea’s future appears brighter with Alvaro Morata.
While Costa’s sale to Atletico Madrid will ease the worry lines on Antonio Conte’s forehead, any fears over the wisdom of that £57m deal will disappear with Morata in this form.
The summer signing claimed a hat-trick, with the three goals all scored with his feet, to complete a comfortable afternoon for the Premier League champions as they prepare for a potentially pivotal week.
Stoke’s depleted defence were punished in a ruthless performance with Morata at the forefront with a classic centre-forward’s performance, his second goal in particular a sublime individual effort.
There was even a more tasteful new song from the travelling Chelsea fans to serenade their new hero, a fortnight after the controversial chant at Leicester which was condemned by the club. Morata now has six league goals since that move from Real Madrid.
He will create fewer unwanted headlines, and lacks the bull-headed aggression of his predecessor, but the 24-year-old’s success in front of goal is likely to define Conte’s title defence.
There was even a more tasteful new song from the travelling Chelsea fans to serenade their new hero, a fortnight after the controversial chant at Leicester which was condemned by the club. Morata now has six league goals since that move from Real Madrid.
He will create fewer unwanted headlines, and lacks the bull-headed aggression of his predecessor, but the 24-year-old’s success in front of goal is likely to define Conte’s title defence.
September 23rd 2017 AD (After Diego) feels like a big moment in Conte’s Chelsea reign.
“I was pleased with the new chant from our supporters and I thank them for that. I was also pleased with Alvaro’s performance and scoring a hat-trick is very important for a striker,” said the Chelsea manager.
“Now he has to continue in this way to be a top striker. It is not easy to win away at Stoke as this game is always difficult but we created many chances to improve the final result.
"I think we have to be focused at what we do and not others. We want to fight in every competition we are playing."
“I was pleased with the new chant from our supporters and I thank them for that. I was also pleased with Alvaro’s performance and scoring a hat-trick is very important for a striker,” said the Chelsea manager.
“Now he has to continue in this way to be a top striker. It is not easy to win away at Stoke as this game is always difficult but we created many chances to improve the final result.
"I think we have to be focused at what we do and not others. We want to fight in every competition we are playing."
The chaotic opening day defeat against Burnley must feel like a long time ago for Conte now, with Chelsea rediscovering the verve and vigour from last season.
This week promises to be a crucial moment in their campaign, with Wednesday’s rematch with old enemies Atletico Madrid in the Champions League before their encounter with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City next weekend.
Games at the Potteries can often be strewn with danger for the big clubs but Conte cannot have envisaged such a stress-free afternoon. He even had the luxury of starting with Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas on the bench.
This week promises to be a crucial moment in their campaign, with Wednesday’s rematch with old enemies Atletico Madrid in the Champions League before their encounter with Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City next weekend.
Games at the Potteries can often be strewn with danger for the big clubs but Conte cannot have envisaged such a stress-free afternoon. He even had the luxury of starting with Eden Hazard, Gary Cahill and Cesc Fabregas on the bench.
There were mitigating circumstances for Stoke, in fairness, who have suffered an untimely and almighty defensive crisis. Ryan Shawcross, Kevin Wimmer and Geoff Cameron were all injured, while on-loan defender Kurt Zouma was ineligible against his parent club.
Towards the end, shortly before Chelsea’s third goal, Bruno Martins Indi joined the lengthy list after limping off with a groin problem.
Towards the end, shortly before Chelsea’s third goal, Bruno Martins Indi joined the lengthy list after limping off with a groin problem.
Indeed, Stoke are so short of options that the ‘Jaws’ theme music could have been played every time the ball was punted into their half.
And Hughes’ fears were realised after just 80 seconds when Chelsea took the lead with a brutally simple goal.
Cesar Azpilicueta’s lofted pass completely bypassed Stoke’s three-man defence to send Morata clear and his finish under Jack Butland was clinical. It was Morata’s first non-headed goal for Chelsea.
Stoke have beaten Arsenal and drawn with Manchester United at the bet365 Stadium already this season but any hopes of another notable result were destroyed on the half-hour.
This time it was a mistake from captain Darren Fletcher, his attempted chest-down to Martins Indi going completely awry, and Pedro scampered clear to drive a fine shot across Butland. “That’s why we’re champions,” chanted Chelsea’s travelling support.
Stoke did respond and created their best chance of the first half when Mame Diouf sent an acrobatic overhead kick wide after a sustained period of pressure two minutes before the break.
And Hughes’ fears were realised after just 80 seconds when Chelsea took the lead with a brutally simple goal.
Cesar Azpilicueta’s lofted pass completely bypassed Stoke’s three-man defence to send Morata clear and his finish under Jack Butland was clinical. It was Morata’s first non-headed goal for Chelsea.
Stoke have beaten Arsenal and drawn with Manchester United at the bet365 Stadium already this season but any hopes of another notable result were destroyed on the half-hour.
This time it was a mistake from captain Darren Fletcher, his attempted chest-down to Martins Indi going completely awry, and Pedro scampered clear to drive a fine shot across Butland. “That’s why we’re champions,” chanted Chelsea’s travelling support.
Stoke did respond and created their best chance of the first half when Mame Diouf sent an acrobatic overhead kick wide after a sustained period of pressure two minutes before the break.
And their frustration only increased when referee Mike Dean, already unpopular in these parts, booked Marcos Alonso for a swipe at Joe Allen and then failed to dismiss the Chelsea defender 60 seconds later for a foul on Diouf.
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