Cesc Fabregas was once again at the centre of plenty that was good and the Spaniard had high praise indeed for the team’s display in that opening period especially.

‘I don’t think I am exaggerating if I don’t remember playing and enjoying a football match as much as I did personally in the first half,’ he said after the game.

‘We played outstanding football. It is always difficult after internationals because the team doesn’t have time to work on many things and prepare the game but I enjoyed it a lot, particularly the first 45 minutes.

‘Some people who didn’t watch the game will think 2-0, it was just an okay game but it was much more than that. It was a beautiful performance, very consistent, a clean sheet, we created plenty of chances and we had control of the game. That is why I think we need to be more effective in front of goal and score more goals and send an even bigger message to our opponents.’

Following Diego Costa’s opener, Fabregas added another to his impressive tally of assists when Eden Hazard scored from his corner. With West Brom playing the end of the first half and the second 45 minutes not only 2-0 behind but down to 10 men, the midfielder reckons those factors may have contributed to a drop in intensity in Chelsea’s second-half football although there was no conscious decision to take the foot off the pedal.

‘We saw the game was comfortable and maybe they [West Brom] dropped off a lot and they were just defending and they didn’t want to try to attack.

‘It is not the mentality but subconsciously when there are 15 minutes left and you know that you are winning and they haven’t created anything then maybe it brings into your head some more negative thoughts - but overall the first 45 minutes were outstanding, the second 45 not as good but still professional and consistent. We are very happy because the main objective was three points and on top of that, if you can play great football then even better.’

Twelve league games unbeaten at the start of a top-flight season is a new Chelsea record and the lead at the top of the table remains healthy, but the dressing room is determined not to get carried away.

‘We know it is a long way to go and we don’t look at all the comments from TV, press or fans because if you start looking at it now, everyone will think that Chelsea has already won the title and it is not like that. We are professionals and some of us have been playing these type of competitions for a very long time and we have only played a few games really [this season]. It is a long way to go and we still have to do better than that.

‘I don’t compare us with any other big sides because we haven’t won anything, this is just the beginning. Everyone is talking well about Chelsea now, how great we are and then you lose two games they will talk about how bad we are. We have been long enough in football not to fall into this trap and to just keep going the way we want to achieve things.’