The rock behind Chelsea's entertainers: Midfield duo key for Blues

Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson were paired in midfield for the first time as Chelsea produced their most complete performance of the season. In a 5-1 victory over Bournemouth on Saturday , manager Xabi Alonso finally found the control and stability required behind his free-scoring attacking trio of Joao Pedro, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers.

The Blues have had no problems scoring goals this campaign, with 15 goals from six matches, but no team has conceded more than their total of 13. Against the Cherries though, Caicedo and Henderson provided the balance to suggest Alonso could finally have found an answer - despite still having to wait for their first clean sheet of the league campaign.

Henderson stole the show by scoring his first two goals for the club. He opened the scoring with a curling effort after 66 seconds before adding a 25-yard free-kick to complete the victory. Having also set up Rogers for the second goal after just two minutes and 30 seconds, the 36-year-old became the third-oldest player to score and provide an assist in the same match for Chelsea, behind only Didier Drogba and Gianfranco Zola.

Henderson's performance came after a shift in Chelsea's summer recruitment strategy. He arrived on a free transfer from Brentford to add experience to what had been the Premier League's youngest squad. Alonso said: "We signed him for everything.

If he's able to score two beauties like today, we are more than happy for him. "But apart from the goals, he's done many, many good things. I think today was a very complete performance.

We were in control for most of the game, so I'm happy with that. We had good stability in defence as well." Having not signed a player aged over 30 since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2022, Chelsea recruited three this summer, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez joining from Aston Villa and striker Danny Welbeck also arriving.

Now, recovered from a broken arm sustained while jumping over an advertising hoarding during celebrations following England's win over Mexico at the World Cup, Henderson is showing he is more than just a vocal leader behind the scenes. There is a strong argument that Chelsea find it easier to cope without the creativity of Cole Palmer than without Caicedo's ability in possession and his knack for breaking up play in midfield.

In his 150th appearance for the club, Caicedo lasted 72 minutes. His withdrawal for Romeo Lavia was planned, but the Ecuador international still made a significant impact. Alonso deployed him in a deep role, dropping into the middle of the back three when Chelsea were in possession and allowing young defender Josh Acheampong to push forward.

He misplaced just two passes and recorded the highest pass-completion rate of any Chelsea starter. He also made and won more tackles than any other Chelsea player on Saturday afternoon. With Caicedo in the side, Chelsea have won 48.1% of their Premier League matches.

Without him, that figure drops to 25%. Alonso said: "You always want to have Moises on the pitch. With him, we have a better midfield area and when you are better in the middle, you have a more complete team.

"I think that is something to build around. With the players that we have up front, they are solid in defence as well. So, I'm happy that Moises is feeling better because he's going to be a key player for us.

We knew that." The alternative options in Chelsea's midfield include captain Reece James, who is able to play in defence, along with substitutes Romeo Lavia and Valentin Barco, who did not make the matchday squad. It is most likely James who will be attempting to re-take his place from Henderson when back, but the diagnosis on his knee issues remains uncertain.

Chelsea remain a work in progress and conceded again through poor set-piece defending for Evanilson's goal. However, if Henderson and Caicedo can help eliminate the defensive lapses, Chelsea can begin to look up the table, with Pedro, Rogers and Palmer already helping to make them the Premier League's top scorers.

Alonso said: "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 that are going to be helping the rest, not just for their qualities because they understand the game. They can play in shorter spaces but as well defensively they give good balance." Former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC Sport: "Caicedo makes a difference.

There's no doubt about it. He gives Chelsea a bit more solidity and stops the ball getting into the back four. "He and Henderson have worked really well, the opening goal being a good example.

He definitely makes them more solid, I've been really impressed."