The midfielder opened the scoring inside two minutes before setting up Rogers for Chelsea’s second. João Pedro also scored twice, while Henderson rounded off the emphatic win with a superb set-piece strike.
It was a significant occasion for Henderson, who had been working his way back after an injury during the summer. He was delighted to make his first appearance at Stamford Bridge and contribute to a convincing result.
“It was my home debut so it was a big day for me,” he said. “I was delighted to play here. It's been a while since my injury in the summer, so it was nice to be here at Stamford Bridge for the first time and play.”
Henderson was particularly pleased with Chelsea’s consistency across the match, pointing to their defensive concentration as the foundation for the attacking display.
“We started both halves really well, which is important, and got some good goals,” he said. “But then you need to be consistent throughout the game and that was the most important thing for me.”
The midfielder also praised Chelsea’s attacking players, including Rogers, Palmer and João Pedro, but argued that their contribution without the ball deserved equal recognition.
“What I was most pleased with today was the work we did and the defensive attitude without the ball,” Henderson said.
“When we win it back, they're so good on the transition. They can kill any team with the skill, the pace, the power, and they’re clinical in front of goal.”
His second goal came after a week of set-piece practice at Chelsea’s Cobham training ground with specialist coach Austin MacPhee. Henderson explained that the work had given him the confidence to step forward, even with Palmer and Rogers also interested in taking the free-kick.
“Austin said: ‘Forget it, that's what we're doing’,” Henderson recalled. “Morgs wasn't too happy, but when we got there he said: ‘Go on then’.”
Palmer, meanwhile, wanted to know where the celebration would take place if Henderson scored.
“Cole said: ‘Which corner are we celebrating in when you score?!’ So I said they wanted the right, then put it in, thankfully.”
Henderson was grateful his younger teammates stepped aside, and the result justified the decision.
“It was nice because it was something that we worked on in training and we executed it really well. So I was thankful for Cole and Morgs to let me have it.”