English FA Premiership/Chelsea  3 Manchester City 0: Chelsea returned to the Premiership like a worker on his first day back after the holidays. They attend to whatever needs to be done without hurling themselves into any new project. The champions, satisfied with a 2-0 lead at the interval, even seemed to have knocked off early until they abruptly got down to business again with a handsome third goal from Didier Drogba in the 79th minute.

The home fixtures in Jose Mourinho's two previous seasons with Chelsea had started with scrappy yet significant wins over Manchester United and Arsenal respectively. There was no such resonance to this encounter. A venture to Stamford Bridge does tend to put teams in the worst possible light, but this campaign may stay ugly for Stuart Pearce's side.

City were mundane and the attackers were so cowed that Chelsea had no anxiety to disturb their concentration. Bernardo Corradi, on his debut after the move from Valencia, limited his contribution by getting sent off. Booked for a tackle from behind on Paulo Ferreira before the interval, he received a second yellow card from the referee, Steve Bennett, in the 63rd minute because of a lunge at Michael Essien when the ball was gone.

The Ghanaian, grabbing the Italian by the hair in the aftermath, did nothing for the serenity of the fixture, but Essien had supplied the game with much that was imposing, powerful and even considered.

Chelsea lack several injured players, and Andriy Shevchenko may have been pining for the service the absent Michael Ballack could have given, but the side showed, by and large, it can cope without a few celebrities.

If Essien is being groomed to become a successor to the veteran Claude Makelele, the lessons appear to be going extremely well. So long as he retains a vestige of youth, he will not settle for stationing himself in front of the back four. Corradi was initially lured into the self-destructive feud with him because of a rough, studs-up challenge, but Essien's vigour has a greater focus these days.

He was able to offer his own movement and neatness of touch for Chelsea's second goal, in the 26th minute. Arjen Robben began the move and Essien made space before passing to Frank Lampard, who manoeuvred to hit a firm, low drive that was deflected into the net by Richard Dunne.

Had it not been for a foot injury the Sweden goalkeeper, Andreas Isaksson, would have been the man left stranded. Much as he will be annoyed to have his first outing for City delayed, there was a certain benefit in leaving his understudy, Nicky Weaver, to absorb the deflating experience of playing against Chelsea.

The feeling of helplessness must have been oppressive from the 11th minute. Ben Thatcher fouled Ferreira on the Chelsea right and Robben whipped in an inswinging, left-footed free-kick. It carried too much pace for a goalkeeper to try to grab, but as Weaver held his position Drogba's decoy run was dragging men away and John Terry got in front of Dunne to head into the net.

Mourinho was to declare later that Chelsea had played "very well". He had in mind the professionalism that ensured their mastery would never waver, and there will have been satisfaction in watching the intimidating effectiveness of his defence.

Ferreira had the air of a player who has lost confidence, but no one else in the back four could be faulted.

Wayne Bridge, who must be asking himself when and if Ashley Cole will arrive and shunt him on to the substitutes' bench, had a worthwhile match. It was capped when an ideally weighted pass from Robben sent him behind the admirable Micah Richards and the left-back's cross was headed past Weaver by Drogba.

It was faintly ironic that the centre-forward who scored for Chelsea should be the powerhouse rather than the predator. This was a modest display by Shevchenko, and when he did put the ball in the net towards the end the flag was raised. The Community Shield, though, has already established that his skills will slash a defence open before long.

All the same, Shevchenko is about to become acquainted with the rigours of the English programme. Chelsea go to Middlesbrough and Blackburn this week, grounds where they were beaten in the Premiership last season. If there is any aspect of yesterday's match that could concern Mourinho it will be that City did not give enough of a workout to a squad that, by managerial design, has had an abbreviated build-up to the campaign.

The team is not yet as finely honed as Mourinho will ultimately demand. All the same, Chelsea can busk it and still produce results that are sweet music to their fans.