Chelsea have spent the past two years scouring the globe for the best young talent – only for Enzo Maresca to stumble upon a homegrown core.

There were five Englishmen in yesterday’s starting line-up. And while Nicolas Jackson’s first half brace made sure a dire West Ham never stood a chance, the quintet all made a notable impact on proceedings.

This was a deeply impressive performance from Chelsea that proved they must be considered top four contenders.

Caution should be advised against getting carried away because their hosts were such a rabble that Julen Lopetegui had the boos raining down on him midway through only his third home game in charge.

But there were moments, especially in the opening period, when Chelsea’s blur of attacking movement was a joy to behold as new faces settle in and familiar ones become accustomed to tweaked roles.

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And after another summer of chaos and confusion in West London, there was a sense of unity.

Perhaps even in the directors’ box where rifting owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali sat together. They can only have been pleased watching this.

Jadon Sancho, given his first start having made a vital impact off the bench at Bournemouth last weekend, provided the assist for Jackson’s fourth-minute opener.

But the most notable moment of his 57 minutes, before being substituted with the points assured, came just over half an hour in when he produced a wonderful bit of trickery that left Dinos Mavropanos in a spin before laying-off to Jackson, whose shot was blocked.

That brought a loud, appreciative chorus of his name from the away fans for a player in need of a confidence boost.

Sancho, of course, has a point to prove, haters to silence - and it will take some time before definitive judgments can be made over whether this really is a true return to form.

But his intentions here were clearly right. Beyond the creativity, he tracked back diligently and consistently showed for the ball. Erik ten Hag may have questioned his commitment at Manchester United but the early signs at Chelsea are promising.

Then there was Cole Palmer, who again operated centrally and attracted so much attention it allowed those around him to thrive. Being a foil might not see him match last season’s prolific scoring output but he still found the net here, fed by Jackson, to turn in a match-settling third.

In this case Sancho, Jackson and Noni Madueke profited from Palmer being a distraction - exploiting the space vacated by defenders determined to shut the England international down.

On the opposite flank Madueke again offered more evidence that he is becoming more and more comfortable at this level, going close to scoring himself late in the first half after cutting in between Emerson Palmieri and a dizzy Max Kilman.

The Hammers centre back, a supposed statement arrival from Wolves in the summer, was badly caught out of position for Jackson’s second goal and endured a horrible afternoon.

The same could not be said for Maresca’s English centre half partnership of Levi Colwill and Tosin Adarabiyo. Even when West Ham threatened to create something late in the opening period, the pair hardly put a foot wrong to ensure Jarrod Bowen ’s shift into centre-forward paid little dividends.

Colwill also played a role in the smooth build-up to Chelsea's second goal.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, a summer addition from Leicester, was sprung off the bench to add another bit of home flavour.

Such is the depth of options available to Maresca it is unlikely to always be like this - Palmer, for instance, is not even in their squad for UEFA Conference League - and rotation will be the name of the game throughout the season.

But this was an afternoon to cherish for supporters who spent much of the off-season questioning whether their club is losing its identity. Their English stars, with the exception of Colwill, may not be academy products. Yet this was a development worth celebrating.

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