Jordan Henderson proved class is permanent with a sumptuous performance on Saturday – and Chelsea have revealed how his dazzling display was no accident.
Henderson’s surprise move to west London from Brentford has raised eyebrows among pundits, with his lacklustre showing against his former club during their 3-0 defeat before the international break seeing some sections of supporters writing him off already.
But it took just two minutes to silence those doubters at Stamford Bridge, as the former Liverpool man rifled home a sublime free kick to set the Blues on course for a statement 5-1 victory over Marco Rose’s Bournemouth.
Shortly after full-time, Chelsea shared footage of Henderson fine tuning his excellent free-kick in training, working on an identical set-piece alongside Cole Palmer.
‘Practice always makes perfect’, the caption read as Henderson swept the ball into the top right corner, just as he did against the Cherries’ Dorde Petrovic.
Jordan Henderson’s stunning free kick against Bournemouth was no accident
Chelsea have revealed unseen training footage of Henderson scoring an identical free kick
Henderson later added to his tally with Chelsea’s fifth of the game, firing home from the edge of the box to wrap up an impressive win for Xabi Alonso‘s side.
‘Today was a complete performance,’ Alonso said. ‘We were in control for most parts of the game, so I’m happy with that.
‘We had good stability. In defence, there were a couple of situations in the first half and for eight minutes in the second, after conceding the goal, we were not in control until we made it 4-1. But overall, I’m happy with the control and the performance.
‘There are many positives to take into the future and to keep going.’
Of Henderson’s performance, Alonso said: ‘We signed him for everything and if he’s able to score two beauties as he did today, we’re more than happy for him.
‘But apart from the goals, he has done many good things. Take away the goals and it was a very good midfield performance, always involved in the actions, giving solutions to the team-mates with the way he plays and how he communicates with the players around, and with Moi [Caicedo].
‘It was important for Moi to play minutes. We were in a situation where we could adjust his load in the first days [after his return to action]. So, a lot of good news from today, and we keep on going.’
