Chelsea beat Bournemouth 5-1 with record fast start

Chelsea defeated Bournemouth 5-1 on Saturday, with Xabi Alonso's side making Premier League history by going 2-0 up inside two and a half minutes — the fastest such lead in the competition's history.

Jordan Henderson and Morgan Rogers scored the early goals, while Joao Pedro added a third just 30 seconds after the restart. Henderson's free-kick and a second from Joao Pedro completed the scoring before Evanilson pulled one back on 51 minutes. Alonso described it as a "complete performance."

The result continued a pattern that has defined Chelsea's season. The club have scored in the opening seven minutes in five of their six Premier League games, with those six early goals accounting for 40 per cent of their 15 league goals in total. No other side has scored more than twice inside the opening five minutes this season — Newcastle United have managed two.

Chelsea have also outperformed their expected goals (xG) figure by the largest margin in the division. Their 15 Premier League goals have come from chances worth a combined 8.4 xG, an overperformance of 6.6. Against Bournemouth, all five goals carried a combined xG of just 0.76.

Joao Pedro leads the Premier League in goal contributions this season with five goals and three assists. His conversion rate of 38 per cent among players with at least three goals is the highest in the division, with his five strikes coming from 13 attempts. He averages a goal every 86 minutes, narrowly ahead of Erling Haaland's 88.

Henderson, making his home debut for Chelsea after an injury-interrupted start to the season, scored twice from outside the box and contributed an assist. The 36-year-old attempted the most shots (three) and crosses (four) of any player on the pitch, and completed 53 passes.