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Chelsea put up a five-star performance on show to batter a hapless Huddersfield Town by 5-0 at the Bridge and go back to 4th place and most importantly, restore their confidence back after a couple of disheartening losses against Arsenal and Bournemouth.
New signing Gonzalo Higuain featured in this third game for the Blues, and after not having found the back of the net yet for the reputation that surrounds his stature, the Argentine was under immense pressure to deliver. Not only for himself but for the team that was struggling to score goals despite chunks of recycled possession.
He did so emphatically, by drilling in two fantastic goals and proving to West London, how lethal a finisher he has been over the years. But it was a lot more. From the partnership exhibited with Eden Hazard to his movement and also a few misplaced passes, Higuain had a fine home league debut.
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Therefore, it's time we take out the microscope and attentively scan the 90 minutes played by the Juventus loanee.
The build-up play
For starters, let's speak about his hold-up play. The 31-year-old displayed his sheer strength, kept the ball safe in the higher thirds of the pitch and passed around rather safely. Speaking of the same, Higuain was weary when he occupied wider areas of the pitch.
Over the years, the forward has established himself as one of the most feared strikers due to his movement in the box, physicality and finishing prowess. The wider zones of the pitch are not his most comfortable areas, and it was quite visible against a congested Huddersfield defence.
Higuain did come off his lines to get involved in the attack process and rack a few passes, but that only worked when he dropped to the number 10 or central midfield role, not anywhere down the left or right.
At one stage, after Chelsea had constructed a fine attacking move, Higuain received the ball on the right flank and tried to be too cute with a cross to Willian, but the ball was cleared, much to Sarri's frustration.
Moreover, whenever he dropped his shoulders or drifted away, the team's attacking structure, that relies heavily on the positioning of the wider midfielders and the forward, took a meaty blow.
Otherwise, his combination play with Hazard was absolutely mesmerizing, which will be touched upon later.
Sharpness levels
Although Higuain got a couple of goals to his name, broke his Chelsea duck and relieved major pressure off himself, he wasn't overly at it. What's important for Chelsea was that he struck two well-taken goals, which at the end of the day is what the manager needs.
Higuain most certainly lacked full fitness, and it was quite visible. Not only to us but to Maurizio Sarri as well, who stated that his former colleague at Napoli was way off the pace in terms of fitness.
Twice, he had to be there in the box waiting for the right ball, but when the pass was played in, Higuain was uncharacteristically not available to produce to final touches. Willian And Hazard both had their moments against the opposition back line where they made light work of defenders and fizzed crosses in, but Higuain was nowhere to be seen.
Maybe with a couple of more matches, we will see the ever-willing striker in the right places at the right times.
His passing was just average, as many a time he dropped deeper but failed to give the simplest of passes. As aforementioned, his productivity from the flanks is also a prime reason for his sub-par pass completion rate of 70.
In terms of dribbling and what a learned observer or pundit would coin 'clinical' as well, the former Napoli and Real Madrid striker wasn't at his best. There was an instance when he received the ball inside the box and tried to find room for a shot by cutting inside on his left foot, but the attempt was way too slow for his liking and as a result, the ball was sent back.
Link-up with Eden Hazard
One of the main highlights of the victory was Higuain's link-up with Hazard. When Hazard played freely in midfield or down the left, he was at his supreme best but when he was tied down closely by the opposition, he used the presence and intelligence of the number 9 to pull the strings for the Blues.
Many a time, Higuain came deeper to buy time for his players and weave open the Huddersfield back line with Hazard. Both of them played some exquisite one-twos, give-and-go's and layoffs. The Belgian winger especially was electric last night. His flicks and dummies proved impossible to read.
In total, Hazard and Higuain had a pass combination tally of 21. In the first hour or so, Hazard passed the ball seven times to his forward - more than what he has fed to Giroud or Morata in any game this season.
Sarri underlined how crucial both of them are to his plans at West London, but also bold-marked a vital point in Hazard's form, which could see a steep rise should he and Higuain continue to demolish defences. The gaffer remarked:
"I think that they are really very suitable to play together, close to one another. Gonzalo played very close to Eden and I think they can do this. For us that is very useful. It will be useful for Higuain - I think he will be able to score goals for us - and also useful for Eden."
Two goals aided confidence levels
Leaving aside these attributes, talking points and other aspects of Higuain's game, let's take a moment and appreciate what he did to his best potential - score goals.
The striker's movement in and around the box was absolutely magnificent. Not once did it look like he did not time his runs to near perfection. Higuain played on the shoulders of Christopher Schindler and always looked to spin off the centre half.
He was always lurking and waiting for the right moment. Although Higuain wasn't overly sharp, you knew he only needed that one moment. And he certainly did.
N'Golo Kante outfoxed the opposition with a perfectly waited out-foot pass to Higuain, who drilled a shot past Lossl to the top of the goal.
What was brilliant was how well he timed his run. And the second goal had a deflection but he wouldn't care, as the new darling of Stamford Bridge clinically found the back of the net - something that the other strikers haven't been doing on a regular basis.
What must Higuain do next?
For now, there's a lot the veteran can do in order to stake a complete claim of the top 4 and achieve personal targets. What he must do, first of all, is keep his feet on the ground from here and take his chances.
The striker needs to put their half-chances away if he's playing for this club. He needs to be a little sharper in the box and complete passes a little bit quicker as not always will Hazard be allowed to run the game and sway his magic wand.
Otherwise, his finishing abilities, world-class movement in the box and the rest, will take care of it all. It's time Gonzalo Higuain shares the goal-scoring burden and announce himself in the Premier League.
