Chelsea  4 Watford 0: Newly promoted ingenues like Watford enter the Premiership comforted by the thought that, in English football, anybody can beat anybody. The problem is Chelsea are not just anybody, even if they do have a blind spot at Middlesbrough and had lost unexpectedly to Tottenham the previous weekend. At Stamford Bridge Aidy Boothroyd's Hornets were swatted like flies as Chelsea completed 50 successive home league games without defeat.

This one-sided contest would have become monotonous had Didier Drogba not taken the opportunity to confirm his metamorphosis from tedious tragedian into tireless titan. For much of last season Drogba was about as heroic as a dying duck in a thunderstorm. His game was notable more for its sleight of hand than subtlety of foot and he went to ground too easily for a man of his considerable build.

Then he tidied up his act, cut out the histrionics, enjoyed a good if brief World Cup with the Ivory Coast and has begun the present season with a barrage of goals supported by numerous assists. Drogba's hat-trick against Watford brought his total to 14 in all competitions, including eight in the Premiership. Some of his touches here were reminiscent of Thierry Henry.

Chelsea's satisfaction with Drogba's form has been complemented by the growing strength of his partnership with Andriy Shevchenko. True, this double act has been brought together at a cost of around £55 million, yet money cannot buy understanding and the moment early in the second half when Drogba set up the former £31 million Milan striker to score Chelsea's third goal was priceless in the serious sense of the word.

As Drogba, with his back to goal, went to meet a long kick from Carlo Cudicini he had Danny Shittu hovering behind him. Unperturbed, Drogba took the ball on his chest, turning away from the defender as he did so, then let it drop on to an instep before finding Shevchenko coming in on the blind side of Lloyd Doyley with a delicate first-time lob.

Shevchenko then chested the ball down before beating Ben Foster. Watford's style may be direct but it will struggle to be as direct as this.

Chelsea's second, after 36 minutes, followed a slick exchange of passes with Shevchenko and already the prolific possibilities of this combination are promising to eat away at Manchester United's goal difference advantage. Drogba's other two goals each followed low centres from Geremi, making a rare appearance at right-full.

Jose Mourinho is not given to extravagant praise of individual players but in Drogba's case made an exception. "I don't like to use the word unstoppable but he's great in every aspect of the game," Mourinho enthused. "He attacks the ball, he dominates in the air, he holds the ball well. I never saw a better Drogba than now."

Boothroyd agreed. "He epitomises what a professional should be," the Watford manager said. "He's quick and he's got everything a top player should have. But what makes him a true professional is that he was chasing down the back four in the 93rd minute. That's all you can ask."

In fact with Chelsea four up and cruising Drogba was to be found rising at his own far post to head away a dangerous centre from a Watford substitute, Chris Powell.

Watford don't have a Drogba but might have posed a greater attacking threat had Marlon King not been forced out for the season with a knee injury. King's scoring potential, along with his ability to hold the ball up and strength in the air, were always going to be important in a team struggling to turn draws into victories against the sort of opponents they need to beat to survive.