Sterling's puts Chelsea out of misery against fragile Luton

Those who haven't had a chance to watch Chelsea's 3-0 home win against Luton Town at Stamford Bridge on Friday night would probably conclude it was one of those brutal, landslide victories.

Alas, that was not the story despite the final result.

If it wasn't for unplayable Raheem Sterling, who knows what could have happened and the match would probably succumb to a goalless stalemate. But that's why Sterling's market value is still very high, despite a few years of downfall.

The 28-year-old ex-Man City forward scored two opening goals, one in each half, and then added an assist for the Blues's third goal of the game.

Luton, on the other hand, proved to be a brave team but with many essential issues, especially in the back four.

It was blatant straight from the start, as Sterling himself kept exploiting those rivals' defensive flaws.

He fired powerfully six minutes into the game from inside the box but straight at Luton's keeper on the goal line. The immaculate forward made amends soon after, dashing into the box on the right flank before slotting it low into the far corner to put his side in front, 1-0.

From that moment on, the fixture lost tempo and excitement, and not much of an action was seen before the half-time interval.

Things changed as soon as the squads returned to the turf after the break.

In the span of just 50 seconds, the Blues had two clear-cut chances, but Ben Chilwell and Nicolas Jackson both lacked the necessary accuracy once they faced Kaminski inside Luton's box.

Their efforts were followed by Enzo Fernandez's back-to-back attempts shortly after. However, the first one ended on the right post, and the second shot, coming after a throw-in on the left-hand side, went wide above the bar.

And then, in the midst of Chelsea's pressure, the visitors launched a simple yet excellent counter-attack, which saw Ryan Giles wide open on the left. Malo Gusto managed to put his foot on the shot and take the sting out of it before keeper Sanchez grabbed the ball with a significant amount of luck.

The punishment was almost instant.

Gusto played a crucial role, again, only this time on the other end, assisting Sterling to double the lead and kill the suspense.

The cherry on top was the work of Nicolas Jackson, but his tap-in and the very first Premier League goal would be impossible without Sterling's immaculate, sharp cross from the right.

Chelsea's boss, Maurizio Pochettino, should be satisfied with the victory itself, albeit he's still got plenty of work to do at Stamford Bridge to make Chelsea great again.

PREMIER LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 3

Friday

Chelsea - Luton 3-0 (1-0)

/Sterling 17, 68, Jackson 75/

Saturday

14:30 (3.80) Bournemouth (3.60) Tottenham (2.05)

17:00 (1.25) Arsenal (6.75) Fulham (13.0)

17:00 (2.10) Brentford (3.50) Crystal Palace (3.80)

17:00 (2.45) Everton (3.35) Wolves (3.15)

17:00 (1.35) Manchester United (5.30) Nottingham Forest (8.00)

19:30 (1.60) Brighton (4.10) West Ham (5.50)

Sunday

16:00 (3.20) Burnley (3.40) Aston Villa (2.25)

16:00 (15.0) Sheffield United (7.25) Manchester City (1.18)

18:30 (2.30) Newcastle (3.70) Liverpool (3.15)

***odds are subject to change