Jordan Henderson has revealed how he convinced Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers to allow him to take the free-kick he scored in Chelsea’s emphatic 5-1 victory over Bournemouth.
The midfielder marked his home debut at Stamford Bridge with an early goal before capping his performance with a stunning second-half free-kick.
Henderson disclosed that his confidence came from regular practice with Chelsea’s set-piece coach, Austin MacPhee, during training at Cobham.
Henderson said: “Some of the lads and Austin have a little bit of confidence in me, so when I have some confidence in me, I can step up and take it.
“But we’ve been working on it in training for the past week or two, to be fair, and I was pretty consistent. Austin said: ‘Forget it, that’s what we’re doing’.
“Morgs wasn’t too happy, but when we got there he said: ‘Go on then’. Cole said: ‘Which corner are we celebrating in when you score?!’ So I said they wanted the right, then put it in, thankfully.”
The goal capped a memorable home debut for Henderson, who had been working his way back from an injury sustained during the summer.
The former Liverpool captain also provided an assist for Rogers during Chelsea’s impressive start against Bournemouth.
Reflecting on the occasion, Henderson said: “It was a good day. It was my home debut so it was a big day for me.
“So I was delighted to play here. It’s been a while since my injury in the summer, so it was it was nice to be here at Stamford Bridge for the first time and play.
“We put on a good performance and got a good result, which is the main thing.”
Despite Chelsea’s five-goal display, Henderson also highlighted the team’s defensive discipline and work without the ball as important factors behind the victory.
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He said: “I felt today the concentration, the focus, was very good for the majority of the game.
“When you do that you’re just rewarded in the end. They’re fantastic players, with huge talent, of course.
“What I was most pleased with today was the work we did and the defensive attitude without the ball.
“That helps the team and that builds us, gives us a platform then, when we’re defending as a team.”
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