Chelsea made it a club record 12 straight league wins after dispatching Bournemouth by three goals to nil and move nine points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Pedro put Antonio Conte's side ahead midway through the first half and the mean machine that is the Chelsea defence were seldom tested since then.

Eden Hazard made it 2-0 from the penalty spot after he dusted himself down from Simon Francis' foul.

And Pedro wrapped up the points to make it a perfect 36 from 36 and the defeats to Arsenal and Liverpool as well as the draw at Swansea seem like a lifetime ago.

Here are five talking points to emerge from the Blues' latest triumph.

Batshuayi benched

Shoot: Michy Batshuayi takes aim

With Diego Costa sidelined by his fifth yellow card of the season, this was supposed to be the big moment for Michy Batshuayi.

But Antonio had been cool on the subject, indicating in his pre-match press conference that he thought the Belgian still had room for improvement

Conte benched the charismatic 23-year-old, and instead went for a front three of Eden Hazard, Pedro and Willian.

When will Batshuayi, a man already incredibly popular with the fans, get his chance?

It's looking like he will have to prove himself in the FA Cup against Peterborough, before anything bigger is offered.

Eden Hazard got all he wanted for Christmas

Oh, how happy! Eden Hazard against Bournemouth

If the Blues' brilliant Belgian was sitting around idly yesterday, writing a late Christmas list, then Bournemouth answered all of his wishes here.

Playing as the false nine in this set-up, he was given truly benevolent quantities of space by the Cherries back four, and led them a merry dance as a result.

He bossed the first half, and then drew the foul for the pen that led to Chelsea's second – and his 50th Premier League goal.

It was naive stuff from Eddie Howe's side: but also a sign of a forward who is totally in the zone when it comes to his football right now.

In Kante's absence, Chelsea pulled together

N'Golo Kante in action against Everton earlier this season
N'Golo Kante in action against Everton earlier this season

Antonio Conte loves to talk about a bit of 'collective effort' – and we saw plenty of that here.

The other man missing, apart from Costa, was N'Golo Kante – who will return from his ban for five yellows on New Years Eve.

Without him, the whole of Chelsea's midfield and defensive unit appeared to up their work-rate.

A particular mention in dispatches here to Victor Moses: who patrolled, and harried, and pointed for the benefit of his teammates.

12 consecutive wins

Christmas number one: Antonio Conte's Chelsea will be top of the league on Christmas Day but the Italian manager will not countenance any title talk

Conte's Chelsea here set an all time club record: of 12 consecutive top flight wins – and nobody can say they haven't deserved it.

Regardless of the challenges put before them, here in the form of two key absences, they look truly unstoppable.

There will be another chance to try and prove that in the next game – without double goalscorer Pedro, who collected his fifth caution of the campaign.

There was even an early ripple of “We're gonna win the league” from the corner of The Shed: too early by Conte's insistence, as he maintains all bets are off until the mid-point of the season – a full 90 minutes away.

But, right now, you wouldn't bet against it...

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Conte will need a new line of deflection soon

That line from the Blues' boss, that he can't give a realistic appraisal of Chelsea's title hopes until 19 games are up, expires at the same time as 2016 does.

Conte is not one of those for deflections – at least not the sort we used to see from other recent incumbents of the post.

But he has used that line as a figleaf for some time now: to try his best to keep this side's brilliance below the radar.

The world has noticed, and he will need to come up with a different line very soon.

How Conte copes as newly reaffirmed debut season title favourites will dictate much of the mood around this club, and will influence how those title hopes are perceived both outside and inside this tight group of players.

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