Jose Mourinho made a winning return as Chelsea manager with a 2- 0 success at home to promoted Hull City in the club’s opening Premier League game on Sunday.
Back at Stamford Bridge after spells at Inter Milan and Real Madrid, Mourinho saw his side prevail through early goals from Oscar and Frank Lampard on a warm, sunny afternoon in west London.
The Blues looked on course for a handsome win after scoring twice in the first 25 minutes, but they took their foot off the pedal thereafter, perhaps with a view to Wednesday’s visit of Aston Villa.
De Bruyne for Mata
Mourinho picked Fernando Torres ahead of Romelu Lukaku up front, with captain John Terry selected at centre-back and returning loanee Kevin de Bruyne preferred to Juan Mata in attacking midfield.
Goalkeeper Allan McGregor was among five debutants for Hull and he was quickly involved, clumsily clattering Torres but then plunging to his right to repel Lampard’s subsequent penalty in the sixth minute.
Seven minutes later Oscar put Chelsea ahead by poking the ball beneath McGregor from De Bruyne's pass.
Lampard got on the score-sheet in the 25th minute with a dipping 30-yard free-kick that deceived McGregor, who had to save from Branislav Ivanovic in first-half injury time.
That opportunity yielded the clearest demonstration of goal-line technology of the opening weekend, with Hawk-Eye replays proving that McGregor had clawed Ivanovic’s header away from right on the line.
Hull centre-back Curtis Davies headed straight at Petr Cech and Schuerrle chipped narrowly over the bar, before Mourinho handed a league debut to another new signing, Dutch midfielder Marco van Ginkel.
Soldado strikes
Earlier, new Tottenham signing Roberto Soldado proved there is life without Gareth Bale by giving his side a 1-0 win at promoted Crystal Palace. Bale, strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid, was absent with a foot injury, but a 50th-minute penalty from £26 million club record-signing Soldado meant Spurs did not miss him.
The decisive goal arrived five minutes into the second half, with Soldado adroitly sending goalkeeper Julian Speroni the wrong way from 12 yards after Dean Moxey blocked Aaron Lennon’s cross with a flailing hand.
The results: Chelsea 2 (Oscar 13, Lampard 25) bt Hull 0; Crystal Palace 0 lost to Tottenham Hotspur 1 (Soldado 50-pen).