Luiz Felipe Scolari warned his Chelsea side that he wouldn't accept their lengthy injury-list as an excuse for anything other than victory at Middlesbrough, and his players responded with a win so emphatic it suggested that those in treatment room could keep their feet up a little longer.
Middlesbrough away is supposed to be one of the Premier League's tougher assignments but Chelsea's 5-0 victory, courtesy of goals from Salomon Kalou (2), Juliano Belletti, Frank Lampard and Florent Malouda, implied that the rest might need to try that little bit harder if this season isn't going to turn into a blue procession.
Chelsea were without Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Ricardo Carvalho, Michael Ballack, Michael Essien, Joe Cole and Didier Drogba - with Deco only fit enough to start on the bench - but it made no difference as they started the rout in the 14th minute when Kalou got his first. David Wheater failed to clear Wayne Bridge's left wing cross, and Belletti's subsequent shot ricocheted into the path of Kalou, who made no mistake with just the goalkeeper Ross Turnbull to beat.
It might have been 2-0 at the break had the Boro full-back Jonathan Grounds not got a touch on Frank Lampard's shot in front of goal with the visitors dominant.
Scolari's side did manage to double their advantage six minutes into the second-half. There looked to be little on when Malouda picked out Belletti 35 yards out, but the former Barcelona man took a touch before smashing an unstoppable shot high into the top corner.
They got their third just two minutes later when Bridge's raking ball was beautifully cushioned by the impressive Malouda into the path of Kalou, whose sidefooted shot deflected off Wheater and and past Turnbull in the Middlesbrough goal.
The game was over at this stage, but Chelsea were in no mood to let up. Lampard got in on the act in the 63rd minute, when he found himself unmarked at the back post to head home a Kalou cross, and when Turnbull spilled a Nicolas Anelka shot onto the post four minutes later Malouda was on hand to scramble in the rebound.
To say that it was like a training ground match from that moment on would do injustice to Chelsea's training sessions. By the end they were barely celebrating their goals while Gareth Southgate and Middlesbrough were just glad it was all over.
