Chelsea 4 Maccabi Tel Aviv 0

European competition has finally provided Chelsea with some respite. For the first time this season, the odd sprightly period of the occasional game aside, José Mourinho witnessed his side impose themselves on a contest, dominate for lengthy periods, and revel in their clear superiority. Maccabi Tel Aviv had been cowed from the off by their hosts’ greater energy, quality and general eagerness, and were quickly swept aside.

This win, even against feeble opponents, was celebrated amid a wave of relief given so much of Chelsea’s domestic campaign to date has been instantly forgettable. A win will have dusted away some of the cobwebs to ensure the visit of Arsenal on Saturday, for a fixture which tends to have Mourinho’s juices flowing, can be approached with some optimism again. The manager had urged his players to go out and remind the world why they had been crowned Premier League champions in May. At last, they had responded.

That dismal opening to the Premier League title defence had been weighing heavy on this team. John Terry, one of those omitted from the start here with an eye on Arsenal's visit on Saturday, had voiced his frustration, conceding results "haven't been good enough" and that "five games in, 11 points behind Manchester City, it's no doubt going to be a big ask" to retain the trophy.

Mourinho had actually made six changes to his line-up from the latest loss, at Goodison Park, with some effectively rested for their own good. The likes of Branislav Ivanovic and even Nemanja Matic have appeared in desperate need of a breather.

Those who have been chomping at the bit for an opportunity did at least tear into this contest with relish. Ruben Loftus-Cheek, on his first start in this competition and with only 17 minutes of first-team football behind him previously this season, was cautioned for a high challenge on Nikola Mitrovic after only 56 seconds but, unperturbed, was soon stretching aggressively again into tackles and surging impressively upfield in support of his attack.

This team has been crying out for such urgency and, when Tal Ben Haim misplaced a pass, the slippery Loïc Rémy – another who has been surprisingly underused – reacted smartly to intercept and slide an eager Willian into the penalty area. Predrag Rajkovic's forward dart invited trouble and the Brazilian duly tumbled to earn the penalty. Yet there was anxiety too. Eden Hazard has been desperate for a chance to kick-start his own contribution this term, with this his best opportunity. But there was tension in his stride up to the ball, eyes fixed on Rajkovic's net, and the spot-kick was skied terribly into the upper tier of the Shed.

It was a horrible miss and the kind of anti-climax which might normally shatter a team’s fragile confidence, but Mourinho did his best to gee up the Belgian thereafter from the sidelines and, in truth, Maccabi were obliging opponents. There were gaping holes in their rearguard through which Rémy and the attacking trio at the Frenchman’s back poured with glee, the home side mustering an upbeat tempo arguably for the first time in these parts since the opening exchanges of their first game, against Swansea, last month. Other opportunities were sure to follow the fluffed penalty. Indeed, by the interval, the game felt won.

Oscar’s return after a knee injury undoubtedly helped, though it was a compatriot who earned the lead. Yuval Shpungin fouled Hazard midway inside the Maccabi half and, with a jittery Rajkovic unnerved by the clutter wrestling their way towards the spot, Willian’s in-swinging free-kick bounced once before skipping into the corner of the net.

The monopoly of possession should have yielded much more, Rajkovic was spared the concession of another penalty when he appeared to trip Loftus-Cheek, but he did not escape for long. Diego Costa, on for the injured Willian, muscled his way into the box in first-half stoppage time after a lengthy spell of Chelsea passes and, with Mitrovic clawing at his shirt, eventually crumpled under Ben Haim's challenge from behind. Oscar proved more accurate with the conversion.

The Israelis had offered precious little in response, aside from Eran Zahavi's awkward header from Mitrovic's free-kick or Avraham Rikan's volley which was deflected just wide, with Slavisa Jokanovic's side rather overwhelmed by a team seeking to make amends for recent sloppiness. There was a balance to Chelsea's line-up which bodes well, Baba Rahman making inroads down the flank on debut at left back while César Azpilicueta delighted on a rare foray in his favoured right-back berth.

Oscar’s presence seemed to help Cesc Fàbregas, another who had been desperately lethargic up to now, and the Spaniard’s first assist of the campaign was conjured before the hour: a clipped ball into the area which Costa volleyed emphatically in off the underside of the crossbar. Fàbregas’s first goal quickly followed, a swift counter-attack by Hazard eventually seeing Rajkovic push away Rémy’s low drive before he tapped in the rebound.

Perhaps simply being in command of a contest had reminded Mourinho's charges of their underlying qualities. There were still occasional pangs of carelessness, when Rahman or Kurt Zouma overplayed at the back or the front quartet were too elaborate, but they were permitted those errors by Maccabi's shortcomings summed up by Igiebor passing up an open goal late on. Regardless, for Chelsea, this represented a huge improvement. Arsenal will confront a team who have finally found some rhythm.

(Guardian service)