Alonso praises Henderson after Chelsea's 5-1 win over Bournemouth

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso called his side's 5-1 victory over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge a "complete performance", singling out Jordan Henderson after the midfielder scored twice on his home debut for the club.

Henderson and Morgan Rogers both netted inside the opening three minutes, giving Chelsea their earliest two-goal lead in Premier League history. Joao Pedro added a third a minute into the second half, finishing powerfully after good work from Pedro Neto.

Evanilson pulled one back for Bournemouth, but Chelsea restored control quickly. Joao Pedro grabbed his second from a Pep Chavarria cross before Henderson curled in a 25-yard free-kick to complete the scoring.

"Today was a complete performance," Alonso said. "We were in control for most parts of the game, so I'm happy with that. We had good stability. In defence, there were a couple of situations in the first half and for eight minutes in the second, after conceding the goal, we were not in control until we made it 4-1. But overall, I'm happy with the control and the performance."

Asked about Chelsea's recurring habit of scoring early goals, Alonso deflected credit away from himself. "We always try to start the game in the right way and with good energy, but I have no explanation and no credit to me," he said. "It's never happened to me that in such a short period we score so many early goals."

Alonso was particularly emphatic that Henderson's contribution went well beyond his two goals. "We signed him for everything and if he's able to score two beauties as he did today, we're more than happy for him," the manager said of the 36-year-old. "But apart from the goals, he has done many good things. Take away the goals and it was a very good midfield performance, always involved in the actions, giving solutions to the team-mates."

Alonso also noted the importance of Moises Caicedo returning to minutes following his recent absence, describing Friday's result as delivering "a lot of good news". The win came after Chelsea's disappointing display at Brentford before the international break.