This Chelsea side bear all the hallmarks of champions. Rampant and ruthless, they sense vulnerability and strike with blunt force.

Against Tottenham Hotspur, their London rivals, they were comfortably in control of the match following a three-minute spell early in the match when they blew wide their opponents’ back line.

They remain unbeaten in all competitions after goals from Eden Hazard, arguably Chelsea’s most influential player this season, and Didier Drogba put the home side into an unassailable lead.

Substitute striker Loic Remy scored late on but by then the points already belonged to Chelsea, who maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League.

“We played against a very good team and they showed that during some periods in the game,” said Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho.

“They started better than us and should have scored before us but after our first goal our team became more stable and confident and we controlled the game. I’m really happy with the points, performance and spirit of the players.”

Mauricio Pochettino’s side began well against the leaders and could have been in the lead when Harry Kane, fast improving as one of the league’s best young strikers, struck the crossbar with a firm header with just seven minutes of the match gone.

Chelsea’s response was one of a side oozing confidence and self-belief. Within a spell of three minutes, Mourinho’s men swept aside all resistance.

Hazard opened the scoring with a well-worked team effort on 19 minutes, the Belgian playmaker completing a move in which Chelsea’s attack carved open their visitors.

Drogba, who led in the line in the absence of suspended top-scorer Diego Costa, played a crucial role with the final touch to release Hazard, who stroked the ball beyond Spurs’ Hugo Lloris.

It was Spurs’ French goalkeeper who was at fault three minutes later when his slack goal clearance landed to Hazard, who found Oscar. The Brazilian lifted his head, delivering an accurate pass into the feet of Drogba. The striker shrugged off Jan Vertonghen before picking his spot past Lloris.

Spurs struggled against the league’s top sides last season and again showed that they were no match against superior opponents. They lost 4-0 in the corresponding fixture last season.

The Spurs boss opted for a midfield pairing of Nabil Bentaleb and Ryan Mason and, although they were not wholly responsible for their side’s poor first half, they were clearly unable to deal with the movement of Chelsea’s forward players.

Chelsea fans must have feared the worst when Costa found himself suspended for this match, replaced by the 36-year-old Drogba. However, the striker performed well and lasted 67 minutes before being replaced by Remy.

Mourinho praised the Ivorian striker and revealed that he could be set for a role at Chelsea when he finishes his playing career.

“First of all, he’s a team player. He’s not selfish, not vain. He’s a humble guy who plays for the team, fights for the team. He’s fantastic.”

French international striker Remy completed the victory on 73 minutes.