Armed with that vote of confidence from the board, Jose Mourinho’s messages of intent may have carried a little extra weight, not least for Eden Hazard.
Hazard, the best player in the English football last season, was dumped on the bench, where he remained until the 83rd minute, by which time Chelsea had rediscovered their winning touch.
Diego Costa had tapped the Premier League champions into the lead after a defensive mistake by Aston Villa and will claim the second, although it is expected to go down as an own goal by Alan Hutton
Costa looked more like the lean, mean goal-scoring machine who tore up the Premier League last season, and Mourinho was relieved to see an improved display from his team.
They lost 3-1 at home to Southampton on their previous encounter, a game which triggered long discussions between Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich and his closest aides.
For once, Abramovich backed his manager to lead the team out of their slump and this was echoed in Mourinho’s team selection.
