Wigan Athletic vs. Chelsea: Score, Highlights and Grades

Chelsea was spectacular for five minutes, parked the bus for the next 85 and earned themselves a nice start to the season, winning this one 2-0 over Wigan.

It was all about the newcomers in this one, as Eden Hazard was the driving force for Chelsea's first two goals while Oscar sparkled in his brief time on the pitch in the second half.

The Blues showed off a bit of the new and a bit of the old in their playing style on Sunday morning. For the first five minutes and two goals in this game, there was a creative to their play. But once they went up by two, they allowed Wigan to control too much of the tempo and get themselves back in the game.

Wigan simply didn't have the class in this one to make Chelsea pay, however. 

Let's take a look at some of the highlights and give a few grades after Chelsea's intriguing opening-game win.

Highlights

Grades

Eden Hazard, Chelsea: A+

In five minutes, Hazard showed why Chelsea paid big bucks to acquire his services.

It started on the counter-attack, as Hazard took a pass, made a brilliant turn and found a streaking Branislav Ivanovic with a perfect through ball, and the defender promptly buried his shot into the net.

Then just a few minutes later, Hazard showed up his clever footwork and quick burst in the box, beating one Wigan defender and forcing another to foul him, leading to Frank Lampard's successful penalty kick.

Hazard clearly adds a different dimension to Chelsea's attack, and he should be the focal point of any surge forward. While he needs to prove he can maintain his form over the course of the physical demand of a Premier League season and Champions League berth, he certainly looked ready to take the EPL by storm on Sunday.

Fernando Torres, Chelsea: C+

Torres found himself on the end of a few nice runs that were either left incomplete by a poor pass or didn't lead to a scoring opportunity for the Spanish striker, and for the majority of this game he was pretty quiet. 

Torres looks like he'll create plenty of chances for himself. But will he finish them this season?

While no one expects him to dominate every game he plays, a strong showing would have put to rest some doubts over whether or not Torres would regain his old form from his Liverpool days. With Didier Drogba no longer on the squad, Torres has to step up in a big way. On Sunday, he failed to do so.

Chelsea's Defense: A

For five minutes, Chelsea looked fluid, creative and even capable of playing the beautiful game, leading to two goals.

After that, they reverted to the old ways of parking the bus, sitting on the 2-0 lead the rest of the way and allowing Wigan far more possession than should have been conceded. That said, the Chelsea defenders—Ivanovic, Ashley Cole, John Terry and David Luiz—remained firm, and Wigan weren't given too many good looks on goal.

Certainly, Chelsea's fans will hope the team doesn't play such a boring style throughout the season. But at least they know they can hold a lad if that's how they decide to roll.

Victor Moses, Wigan: B

The man long thought to be a Chelsea target wasn't brilliant, failing to earn himself a good look at goal or set a teammate up for an easy finish. But he was a factor throughout, and he showed nice pace and the ability to be a hassle for opposing fullbacks on the wing.

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