After successive comprehensive defeats to title rivals Arsenal and Liverpool, it was time for dramatic change at Chelsea this week, and manager Antonio Conte delivered.
The Italian pulled the trigger on a switch to a 3-5-2 formation against Hull, a shape that he has used with great success with Juventus and Italy previously. Conte has always insisted that he selects the system that suits his players the best, but nobody could begrudge him giving this a go given how badly his side have been playing.
The switch allowed the Italian manager to get rid of Branislav Ivanovic – a big plus, and also created a new role for Victor Moses as the right wingback. This position plays to his strengths, and Moses put in a man of the match performance on the right.
Both John Terry and Kurt Zouma will soon be available for selection again at centre-back. Whether this prompts a return to a 4 man defence is unclear – what we do now know is that in 3-5-2 Chelsea have an effective new strategy to call on.