Chelsea leapt to the top of the embryonic Premier League table this evening courtesy of a 3-1 victory over Burnley at Turf Moor.
Scott Arfield gave the hosts a shock lead after 14 minutes, but goals from Diego Costa, Andre Schurrle and Branislav Ivanovic ensured that the Blues got their campaign off to a winning start.
Here, Sports Mole takes a look at who impressed in the final Premier League match of the opening weekend.
BURNLEY
© Getty Images
Goal
Tom Heaton: Solid performance despite conceding three goals. Perhaps could have come to claim the corner that led to the third, but that was more down to poor marking. Lucky not to be sent off for a foul on Costa, with the Chelsea man being booked for a dive instead. (6/10)
Defence
Kieran Trippier: Has been the best right-back in the Championship for a couple of seasons and looks well suited to the top flight too. Good coming forward and decent at the back as well. (7/10)
Michael Duff: Struggled at times with the sheer quality of Chelsea's movement, but on the whole a good performance from the centre-back. (6/10)
Jason Shackell: Similar to Duff, although Shackell did turn the ball onto his own post in the first half, allowing Costa to slam home the rebound for the equaliser. (6/10)
Ben Mee: Fortunate to get away with a poor back-pass that was pounced upon by Costa and also lost Ivanovic for Chelsea's third. Decent on the ball, but caught out with those two lapses in concentration. (5/10)
Midfield
Scott Arfield: Sent the home fans wild with his fine goal in the 14th minute, and almost netted an even better strike in the second half. Burnley's best player on the night. (8/10)
Dean Marney: Found it difficult at times against the majesty of Fabregas, but by no means disgraced himself. Simply came up against a better player. (6/10)
David Jones: Also found it tough to deal with Chelsea's free-flowing football on occasions, but a solid display all told. (6/10)
Matthew Taylor: Brought some much needed Premier League experience to the side and had a few bright moments without ever troubling Chelsea too much. (6/10)
Attack
Lukas Jutkiewicz: Strong debut from the striker, who is looking to carry his good pre-season form into the Premier League. Found it tough against a very good defence, but threatened on a couple of occasions. (7/10)
Danny Ings: Also made a nuisance of himself and troubled the Chelsea defence here and there. Will be a key player for the Clarets this season. (7/10)
Substitutes
Ashley Barnes: Came on with 20 minutes remaining and failed to have an impact. Misplaced a few simple passes. (5/10)
Michael Kightly: Replaced Taylor in the 70th minute and also struggled to make too much of an impression on the game. (6/10)
Marvin Sordell: Introduced with eight minutes left and didn't have enough time to make a difference, aside from being booked. (6/10)
CHELSEA
© Getty Images
Goal
Thibaut Courtois: Would have wanted a clean sheet on his debut, but could do nothing about the goal. Was commanding in his area and superb under the high ball all night. Also made a fine save to deny Arfield in the second half. (8/10)
Defence
Branislav Ivanovic: Opened his campaign with a goal, and also played a big part in his side's second with the cross to Fabregas. As solid and impressive as ever. (8/10)
Gary Cahill: A fairly comfortably evening, at least once his side had taken the lead. Made a couple of suspect clearances, but nothing too harmful. (7/10)
John Terry: Unflappable, solid in the air and good leadership. Everything you'd expect from Terry once again. (7/10)
Cesar Azpilicueta: Another decent performance, although he may still have to improve slightly if he is to keep new signing Filipe Luis out of the team. (7/10)
Midfield
Nemanja Matic: Quietly went about his business in midfield once again. Flies under the radar in this side, but an important cog nonetheless. (7/10)
Cesc Fabregas: Sensational. The best player on the park. Ran the game from midfield and added a potent extra body in attack when needed. Set up the second goal with a sublime pass and already looks like being one of the signings of the summer. (9/10)
Andre Schurrle: Kept up his good form from the World Cup, posing a constant threat down the right. Supplied the cool finish to round off a marvellous team move for his side's second. (8/10)
Oscar: Decent performance from the Brazilian, but outshone by those around him. Never really threatened but provided some important touches in the final third. (7/10)
Eden Hazard: Was a danger whenever he got the ball, picking it up and running at the defence. One of his runs led to the second goal, and Burnley found his quick feet hard to deal with all night. (8/10)
Attack
Diego Costa: Impressive debut performance for the striker, capped off with a goal. Was in the right place at the right time for the finish, but made no mistake in putting it in the back of the net. Was unfortunate to be booked for diving when another ref would have given him a penalty after sharp play to pounce onto an underhit back-pass. (8/10)
Substitutes
Willian: Replaced Schurrle with 12 minutes remaining but didn't get much chance to shine as Chelsea played keep-ball. (6/10)
John Obi Mikel: Came on for Oscar in the 82nd minute and kept things ticking over in midfield. (6/10)
Didier Drogba: Made his return with six minutes of normal time left. Had a go with a spectacular volley but didn't have time to do much else. (6/10)
Barney Corkhill
