The opening stages of this contest only confirmed what many had anticipated before a ball had been kicked this term – when Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers line up for Chelsea, Xabi Alonso has an irresistible attacking triumvirate at his disposal. After his previous campaign was hampered by fatigue and injuries that ultimately cost him a place in Thomas Tuchel's plans at the World Cup this summer, Chelsea playmaker Palmer delivered an instant reminder of his match-winning talent in west London. While there was also evidence that Alonso has been able to impress his ideas on the squad with some neat positional interchanges, notably for their second goal, there were also some familiar failings on show.