Henderson, the Premier League's oldest player, is becoming undroppable for Chelsea

No sooner had referee Paul Tierney put the whistle to his lips than he found Jordan Henderson standing at his shoulder. The Chelsea midfielder was keen to point out a goal kick had wrongly been awarded against his side as they sought to close out their Premier League game against Everton. Seconds later, Tierney amended his original decision and pointed to the corner flag. It was a minute detail that summed up Henderson's afternoon and the impact he is beginning to have on Xabi Alonso's improving young Chelsea team. Pedro Neto scored both goals for the visitors in their 2-0 victory at Hill Dickinson Stadium, but Henderson's steel and experience in midfield was vital in helping them get over the line. The England international's summer move from Brentford to Chelsea on a free transfer was not heralded as a masterstroke but he is quickly making himself indispensable to Alonso, particularly in light of captain Reece James' knee injury -- which is expected to keep him sidelined for around three months. "We signed him for everything," Alonso said of Henderson after he netted his first goals for the club in last weekend's 5-1 victory over AFC Bournemouth. "If he's able to score two beauties, we are more than happy for him. But apart from the goals, he's done many good things. He's always involved in the action, always giving solutions to teammates." While he didn't get on the scoresheet against Everton, his central midfield partnership with Moisés Caicedo gave Chelsea a solid platform to deliver at the top of the pitch and to preserve an elusive clean sheet. According to ESPN Global Research, Henderson made the most passes in the final third (20), had the most touches (73) and made the most accurate passes (58) of any player on the pitch. Considering the veteran midfielder is currently the oldest player in the Premier League (at 36 years and four months old), it is a pretty impressive array of statistics. The glory, though, belonged to Neto, who put Chelsea ahead just 45 seconds into the second half after some lovely work from Morgan Rogers in the build up. That Rogers was still on the pitch after escaping a second yellow card for a challenge on James Garner late in the first half will have been a cause of consternation for Everton boss David Moyes. However, the ability to start halves of football quickly once again paid dividends for Chelsea. Alonso's side have scored a league-high six goals in the opening seven minutes of first halves this season as well as three goals inside the first four minutes of second halves. They have scored first six times in the Premier League this season, with only Brentford bettering them in that department (seven). The Blues had to wait until stoppage time to seal their victory, with João Pedro spurning a glorious late chance when one-vs.-one against Jordan Pickford. Ultimately, it was Portugal international Neto who was on hand once again to slot the ball home after Henderson's free-kick deflected inside the penalty area. "This comes a little bit from the new coach of the national team [Jorge Jesus]," Neto said of his impressive finishing to TNT Sports post-match. "He says when you are near to the area you need to pass to the goal, so really happy with that." However, for Alonso, arguably the most pleasing aspect of Chelsea's display will be the fact they managed to keep a clean sheet in the Premier League for the first time in 23 games. The Blues' deficiencies at the back have been a major problem over the past few seasons and so their robustness on Saturday -- up against a previously unbeaten Everton side -- will have been a welcome surprise for the Chelsea boss. "We needed to feel like we could win in this way -- being solid, being strong, looking in control and going through difficult moments," Alonso said in his postmatch news conference. "In the first half, there were moments where there were corners and throw-ins and you need to overcome these moments. It's very hard in the Premier League to have full control of the game but you need to make sure you don't lose your shape or your condition and today we did that really well." Of course, Chelsea's victory was somewhat overshadowed by the injury suffered by goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez, who was stretchered off in the second half after a nasty collision with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. Alonso confirmed the Argentina international was conscious when he left the stadium and was being assessed in hospital, although his deputy Mike Penders -- who came on to make his Premier League debut on Merseyside -- could be called into action in the coming weeks. Martinez's withdrawal was a blow in what was otherwise a hugely positive afternoon for Chelsea. After years of churn and chaos, they are -- with Henderson's help -- beginning to look like a team of grown-ups.