New boys no match for Fab Blues

And while his side will face tougher challenges than Burnley, Chelsea at least served early notice that they mean business from the off with a victory that was as ruthless as it was comfortable once Diego Costa had scored his first goal in English football.

Despite the yawning gulf in resources, an opening night trip to Turf Moor to face a side still giddy with promotion and with nothing to lose might have presented its difficulties, particularly once Scott Arfield had given Burnley an early lead with a spectacular strike.

But Chelsea held their nerve and once Costa had quickly equalised to pay off the opening instalment of his £32million transfer fee the tide irreversibly turned. Andre Schurrle swiftly added a second and Branislav Ivanovic’s virtual tap-in before half-time only partially demonstrated the difference in class between the two teams.

Demonstrating the contrast between the haves and have-nots, Burnley started with only one summer signing who cost a fee in striker Lukas Jutkiewicz. His £1.5m purchase from Middlesbrough made up around a third of the Clarets’ total spend, compared with the £60m Chelsea invested in bringing in Costa and Cesc Fabregas.

Fabregas admitted to a surreal feeling to be back from Barcelona in a blue shirt and not the red of Arsenal, saying: “Being at Chelsea is probably something I would never have expected but football is unexpected. I’m very happy.”

Matty Taylor, signed on a free transfer from West Ham to add some much-needed Premier League know-how to Burnley’s squad, enjoyed some early successes down the Clarets’ left flank and it was following his corner that they took the lead.

Taylor’s initial delivery was cleared but 36-year-old defender Michael Duff, starting his 11th season at Turf Moor, headed the ball back into his path and when Taylor’s deep cross reached Arfield just outside the penalty area, the midfielder took a touch and sent a fierce volley over Thibaut Courtois, selected ahead of Petr Cech, and into the roof of the net.

But if the goal was supposed to inspire Burnley, it merely served to spark Chelsea into life.

Costa, 25, has been brought in from Atletico to make up for the deficiencies of a strike force that failed to yield a 10-goal striker last season and the Spain international wasted no time in opening his account, driving home a loose ball after Burnley captain Jason Shackell had diverted a cross from Ivanovic against the foot of a post.

Any belief Burnley had generated quickly evaporated as a defence that last season had been the meanest in the Championship was reduced to chasing shadows for a spell while the Clarets’ midfield couldn’t lay a glove on Eden Hazard, Oscar or Schurrle.

Hazard was mesmeric but even he had to bow to the quality of the pass which Fabregas unfurled to release Schurrle to side-foot the second.

Costa was then unfortunate to be booked for diving when goalkeeper Tom Heaton looked to make some contact with the striker as he pounced on a weak Ben Mee back-pass but Burnley’s luck didn’t hold when they were undone by a corner which Ivanovic volleyed in under no pressure.

Mourinho’s men took no further chances after that as they closed the game out without breaking sweat, doubtless conscious of the need to save their energies for more testing days to come.

Skipper John Terry made clear what the goal is: “Our target is to win the league.”

BURNLEY: Heaton 5; Trippier 5, Duff 6, Shackell 5, Mee 5; Arfield 7, Marney 6, Jones 5, Taylor 6 (Kightly 70); Ings 6 (Sordell 82), Jutkiewicz 5 (Barnes 70).

CHELSEA: Courtois 6; Ivanovic 7, Cahill 7, Terry 7, Azpilcueta 7; Fabregas 8, Matic 7; Schurrle 8 (Willian 78), Oscar 7 (Mikel 82), Hazard 8 (Drogba 84); Costa 7.

Referee: M Oliver