Chelsea thrash Bournemouth as Henderson hits double

By Tosin Omojola

Jordan Henderson scored his first goals for Chelsea as the Blues cruised to a dominant victory over Bournemouth in the Premier League.

The 36-year-old midfielder, making his home debut, struck twice, including an early opener and a stunning free-kick, while Joao Pedro also netted a brace and Morgan Rogers got on the scoresheet.

Evanilson scored for Bournemouth to briefly reduce the deficit to 3-1, but the Cherries remain winless in the Premier League under new manager Marco Rose.

Chelsea took the lead in the second minute when Henderson fired in off the inside of the post after being played through by Cole Palmer, who signed a new contract until 2034 just hours before kick-off.

The Blues doubled their advantage barely two minutes later when Henderson set up Rogers, whose cross-shot was flicked over Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic by defender Antonio Silva. Rogers was credited with his fourth goal of the season after a video assistant referee (VAR) review.

Bournemouth introduced Ben Gannon-Doak at half-time, but Chelsea struck again just 30 seconds after the restart. Joao Pedro fired into the top-right corner after Pedro Neto capitalised on another mistake by Silva inside the box.

Evanilson pulled one back five minutes later when a clearance by Moises Caicedo ricocheted off him after a dangerous corner fell at his feet inside the six-yard box.

However, Chelsea quickly restored their three-goal cushion as Joao Pedro tapped home a cross from Pep Chavarria before Henderson curled a superb 25-yard free-kick beyond Petrovic to complete the rout.