Maurizio Sarri made a winning start as a Premier League manager as his Chelsea side produced a dominant performance to win 3-0 at Huddersfield Town.
Sarri, who became the club’s 10th full-time manager in 10 years when he replaced the sacked Antonio Conte in the summer, saw his side take the lead with their first shot on target.
It came in the 34th minute when N’Golo Kante’s mis-hit strike from Willian’s cross bounced past Huddersfield goalkeeper Ben Hamer.
Jorginho followed Sarri from Napoli to Chelsea in the summer and the midfielder doubled the Blues’ lead when he converted a penalty after Christopher Schindler fouled Marcos Alonso.
BBC reports tht Pedro sealed a comfortable win with a cool, chipped finish for Chelsea’s third after being played in by substitute Eden Hazard.
Before the second goal, the Terriers had hit a post through Steve Mounie’s header, but it was to be Sarri’s and Chelsea’s day.
Sarri’s Chelsea lost 2-0 to Manchester City in the Community Shield last Sunday, but this was a perfect start to their Premier League campaign.
A fifth-placed finish in 2017-18 and the resulting failure to secure Champions League qualification saw former manager Conte get sacked in July, despite winning the league in his first season at the club and the FA Cup in his second.
Sarri, 59, was chosen to replace him after guiding Napoli to second place in Serie A last season, although he had warned Chelsea’s fans to “expect some problems” in their opening games and that it would take three months for them to find their best form.
They were not at their best against Huddersfield, but were still far too good for David Wagner’s side.
After a slow start, Kante, who helped France win the World Cup less than a month ago, gave Chelsea the lead, and it became 2-0 when Jorginho calmly converted a penalty after Schindler had dived in and caught Alonso’s foot.
That goal, just before half time, changed the game and Huddersfield struggled to create chances and gain possession of the ball in the second half.
An acrobatic effort from Alonso hit the crossbar and, as the hosts pushed for a way back into the game, they were caught on the break when Hazard set up Pedro, who sealed the victory.
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