Chelsea started the season with a bang as they mercilessly swept Burnley aside with a 3-1 win at Turf Moor.
Burnley fans started dreaming of a shock win when Scott Arfield fired past Thibaut Courtois in the 14th minute, but Chelsea quickly put a dampener on the Premier League newcomers' party.
Diego Costa marked his debut with a poacher's strike to equalise and Andre Schurrle then finished off a sublime 25-pass move to put Jose Mourinho's men ahead.
Costa thought he should have had a penalty when he raced through on goal, but he was booked for diving despite having his heels clipped by Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton.
Mourinho was unhappy with the decision, but in the end it counted for little as Branislav Ivanovic made it 3-1 and Chelsea strolled on to victory.
On this performance, it is easy to see why Chelsea are favourites to win the league.
The Blues will come up against tougher teams this season, but the way in which they took Burnley's defence apart in the first half will have given their title rivals food for thought.
Cesc Fabregas, somehow overlooked by Arsenal and Manchester United this summer, slotted perfectly into the Chelsea midfield while Eden Hazard and Schurrle cut through the home defence with ease.
Courtois would be disappointed with his failure to stop Arfield's goal, but otherwise he put in an assured debut performance, which suggested he is up to the task of replacing Petr Cech, who was named on the bench.
And in Costa, Chelsea look to have the "killer" striker Mourinho lacked last year.
Source: PA
