Chelsea: Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard, Alvaro Morata a forceful unit in win

Chelsea’s top offensive trio played brilliantly as a unit against West Bromwich Albion. They will need to repeat this performance against stiffer opposition in the coming months.

Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata each had two points and a yellow card in Chelsea’s win over West Bromwich Albion. Hazard scored a brace, Fabregas had two assists and Alonso helped himself to one of each. These top line stats barely do justice to how freely this trio played, and how impeccably their teammates set them up for the ride.

Chelsea learned last season that opponents like West Brom are the perfect opportunity for Cesc Fabregas to be his best. They do not want to expose themselves to Chelsea attacking with speed, so they sit back and have minimal press through midfield. This gives Fabregas the time and space he needs to create his trademark passes, which are usually necessary to pick out a Blues forward in a packed 18-yard box.

West Brom did not execute that latter element. They gave Alvaro Morata and Eden Hazard as much space moving into the final third as they did Fabregas in the middle. West Brom’s overall disorganization allowed Chelsea to choose their passing lanes anywhere on the pitch.

This enabled Chelsea to cycle the ball as much as they wanted before funnelling it to Fabregas, or to N’Golo Kante, who would move it up to Fabregas himself. From there, Fabregas could find the perfect time, place and angle for his pass to Eden Hazard or Alvaro Morata. Fabregas and Kante each finished the game with three key passes.

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Hazard was as likely to play Morata in as he was to do the work himself. Hazard finished with six completed long balls on seven attempts, one better than Fabregas. Only Cesar Azpilicueta did better with passing from distance, completing eight of 13 long balls.

As the point of the attack, Morata and Hazard combined for seven shots: six on target, and three for goals. Marcos Alonso was the only other Chelsea player to put a shot on target, and with it he joined the forwards on the scoresheet.

This game is another important marker on Alvaro Morata’s time at Chelsea. This West Bromwich Albion side was a far cry from previous versions, and were barely recognizable as a Tony Pulis side. They had none of the stout, stalwart solidity that has come to define the Hawthorns or the Man in the Baseball Cap. But even in crushing defeat they are still a physical, quintessential Premier League side. Down three and then four goals, defeat transformed their physicality into hackery.

And for a player whom many doubted could withstand the (wait for it) physicality of the Premier League – particularly on (wait for it) rainy nights and cold afternoons in the Midlands – Alvaro Morata more than holds his own. He leads the league in goals created (scored plus assists). He is Chelsea’s leading scorer, is tied for third in assists and second for yellow cards. Morata is not afraid to give or take a hit, nor involve himself in the fray, while still being able to create the pure finesse moments he shared with Eden Hazard on Saturday.

Chelsea will need many more performances like this from their star players to make up ground on Manchester City and contend for the Champions League. Few opponents will make the going as easy as West Bromwich Albion. Qarabag are becoming an enigma in the Champions League after stifling Atletico Madrid. Antonio Conte may call on his best XI on Wednesday both to secure advancement to the knockout rounds and to give them another chance to come together as they did at the Hawthorns.

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The Blues showed at West Brom what they can do under favourable circumstances. Soon enough they will have the chance to prove what they can do when the opponent and the stakes are higher.