Alexandre Pato rose off the bench to make his debut and have a hand in all four goals as Chelsea beat doomed Aston Villa 4-0 at Villa Park.
The Brazilian, who signed in January, had to wait more than 60 days to play his first game for the club, but was influential in a good win.
Two other players made their debuts for the visitors as centre-back Matt Miazga was given the nod by Guus Hiddink, who had promised an 'experimental side', with both John Terry and Gary Cahill missing through injury. Teenage defender Jack Clarke-Salter also came on late.
But it was Pato who stole the show, scoring a penalty and having a hand in the build-up of all three of the other goals; Pedro scored twice after Ruben Loftus-Cheek had opened the scoring.
A half-empty Villa Park was the sign of a protest as fans held up banners that read 'Proud History. What Future?' and threw a number of them onto the pitch as the match drew to a close.
But who starred? Scroll through the gallery to see the ratings.
Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.
The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.
Comments
Share your thoughts and debate the big issues
About The Independent commenting
Independent Premium Comments can be posted by members of our membership scheme, Independent Premium. It allows our most engaged readers to debate the big issues, share their own experiences, discuss real-world solutions, and more. Our journalists will try to respond by joining the threads when they can to create a true meeting of independent Premium. The most insightful comments on all subjects will be published daily in dedicated articles. You can also choose to be emailed when someone replies to your comment.
The existing Open Comments threads will continue to exist for those who do not subscribe to Independent Premium. Due to the sheer scale of this comment community, we are not able to give each post the same level of attention, but we have preserved this area in the interests of open debate. Please continue to respect all commenters and create constructive debates.
Delete Comment
Report Comment
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.
Please be respectful when making a comment and adhere to our Community Guidelines.
You can find our Community Guidelines in full here.