Xabi Alonso unlocks Chelsea's very own Cristiano Ronaldo as controversial transfer vindicated

Xabi Alonso watched on with delight as Chelsea thumped Bournemouth 5-1

Jordan Henderson made quite the impression during Chelsea's spectacular 5-1 win over Bournemouth. The 36-year-old midfielder, whom the Blues signed following the expiration of his contract at Brentford in the summer, stole the show at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, silencing his critics in excellent fashion.

Henderson broke the deadlock inside the opening minute or so, bending the ball into the top corner from just outside the box. No more than 90 seconds or so later, the England international picked out Morgan Rogers, cut inside from the left wing and found the same top right-hand corner, with a little help along the way from the crown of Antonio Silva's head.

Then, in the second half, Henderson showed his quality again when he stepped up to take a free-kick in front of the Matthew Harding Stand. Putting the cherry on top of a brilliant performance, the Liverpool legend curled the ball over the wall and past Djordje Petrovic.

Cole Palmer, who had signed a lucrative new contract just hours before the game, extending his stay until at least June 2034, was expected to take centre stage, but it was Henderson who stole the limelight. Xabi Alonso certainly raised eyebrows when he settled for the signing of the veteran, having previously missed out on his primary target, Granit Xhaka.

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Alonso was delighted with the Chelsea midfielder’s ‘very complete’ performance. Speaking to reporters after the game, the Blues manager showered Henderson with praise and explained the significance of his relationship with Moises Caicedo in the double pivot.

“We signed him for everything,” said Alonso, when asked in jest if the former Liverpool and Brentford midfielder was signed for his goals. “If he's able to score two beauties today, we are more than happy for him.

“But apart from the goals, he's done many, many good things. I think that today was a very complete performance.”

Alonso continued: “I think, taking away the goals, he's played a very midfielder performance, always being involved in the action, always giving solutions to the teammates. The way he plays, he needs to communicate with the players around.”

When asked how Henderson and Caicedo complement each other, Alonso said: “Both in terms of qualities are different, in terms of the positioning as well. I think that they help each other well, and they give presence, they give stability.

“You know that they are going to be the ones [who] are going to be helping the rest, not just for their qualities, because they understand the game. They can play in shorter spaces, but defensively they give good balance.

“For me, it's fundamental that we get that area strong, and for sure, with Moises, Hendo played today, it was his second game. Romeo [Lavia] as well, he played good minutes, Reece [James] has played there a little bit for some minutes, and [Valentin] Barco, so we need to keep building around that.”

It's about time Henderson was given his flowers...