In a sign of Chelsea's utter dominance on Saturday, Marcos Alonso's 96 touches (96!) were only good for third (3rd!) on the team, behind the stat-padding right flankers of César Azpilicueta (109) and Victor Moses (104). Nemanja Matić was also above 90 (i.e. Cesc Fàbregas territory) while N'Golo Kanté just missed that arbitrary threshold with 89. That, in general, these weren't just passes for the sake of passing or achieving some sort of possession ideal only makes the numbers more impressive.
Talking after the game with Chelsea TV, Alonso called his goal, the first he's scored for Chelsea, "a bit of a lucky goal" as it nutmegged the partially unsighted Maarten Stekelenburg. "But a goal's a goal," smiled Marcos that very distinctive thin-lipped Marcos smile, as he also talked about the usual things off the Conte checklist. Hard work, concentration, commitment, teamwork, taking things one game at a time, etc.
Alonso, unlike some of his teammates, now gets to relax for two weeks as we trundle through another international break. Considering the lack of depth behind him in that position, that's probably a good thing. Hopefully when we resume play, he will be able to build upon this performance, his best in a Chelsea shirt yet.