Chelsea show required squad depth as they feasted on tiny opponents Qarabag.
Antonio Conte gave Davide Zappacosta his first start at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night as he rotated masterfully to show that his side can handle the demands of competing on all four fronts this season.
Qarabag are one of the weakest Champions League teams to ever come to Stamford Bridge but dropping any points would have spelled disaster for Chelsea, as their group will become more competitive with AS Roma and Atletico Madrid to come.
The Premier League champions ridiculed Qarabag with their fans chanting "Zappacosta, he scores when he wants" and "duh, duh, duh, duh... Zappacostaaaa."
This came as the relatively unknown wing-back ran some 30 yards and hit the back of the net as his cross flew in past Ibrahim Sehic in the 30th minute. This was soon after Pedro's earlier strike from the edge of the box as Qarabag failed to close him down.
Conte's side got the job done with ease and go into their huge match on Sunday with Arsenal having not needed to exert themselves. Eden Hazard came off the bench in the 57th minute to stroll to a 6-0 victory, as their star man got his needed run out ahead of tougher matches.
Qarabag seemed just happy to have made it to this level of football as they switched off again for the third and fourth goals from set-pieces. Tiemoue Bakayoko got his first goal for Chelsea and Cesar Azpilicueta scored for the first time in the Champions League.
Andreas Christensen was another positive as he looked assured and composed throughout, despite only being 21-years-old. Michy Batshuayi hasn't started this season well for Chelsea but his strikes in the 76th and 82nd minutes will have provided him with a much-needed confidence boost with Alvaro Morata in such great form.
It is hard to read too much into a victory over Qarabag but 6-0 is a thouroughly impressive scoreline in Europe's elite competition, and Chelsea didn't even play to their maximum level.
Victor Moses was jokingly mocked by Willy Caballero on the bench after Zappacosta's 30-yard run but it will be a breath of fresh air for Conte to finally have competition at wing-back. The club's six signings in the summer may not all be glamorous but they have given them the depth needed to compete on four fronts this season.
Chelsea will fear few teams in Europe, apart from maybe Real Madrid. The Blues remain England's last Champions League winner and remain the highest-ranked club in terms of their coefficient.
And despite a year out of the competition, they have an outside chance of repeating the glory of 2012.
And despite a year out of the competition, they have an outside chance of repeating the glory of 2012.
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