New toys! Never mind the score. Never mind the brittleness in a Chelsea performance that was fun and frisky, but felt at times like devouring a series of starter plates; and never mind that West Ham might easily have won but for the intervention of VAR in the dying moments.
Just check out the names. What a Chelsea starting XI this was. Here they come, the project boys, the Todd Academy, seven players under 24, five new signings and a side that carried its own sense of gameshow conveyor belt excitement. A World Cup winner. A 21-year-old French defensive prodigy. A frowning Ukrainian super-kid. A caravan. A holiday. A nice bearded man hoping for the best.
