Roman Abramovich was laughing like a granny at a Peter Kay gig. He had just seen Chelsea hammer Portsmouth 4-0.

Any time you witnessed the Chelsea owner at the Bridge last season, and it wasn’t that often, the Russian looked like he had just lost all his money to a Georgian.

But yesterday was different.

Put that down to Luiz Felipe Scolari.

Under Jose Mourinho Chelsea won back to back titles, which would have been enough for most owners, but not Abramovich, who wanted style on the pitch as well as silverware in the trophy cabinet.

A bit like Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United sides, the invincible Arsenal outfit and the Liverpool team of the late 80s.

Considering Chelsea hadn’t won the championship for 50 years until Mourinho arrived, it was a bit much but these Russian billionaires want everything.

Mourinho left and even if his stop gap replacement Avram Grant had won the Premiership and Champions League in May, he would have been out on his ear.

Now Chelsea have Scolari, and if the opening game of their campaign is anything to go by, Abramovich’s dreams may have finally come true.

Chelsea were awesome.

I’m not talking about their performance - I’ll get to that shortly - I’m talking about their team.

The back four had Jose Bosingwa and Ashley Cole, arguably the two best full-backs in the world, plus the outstanding John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho at centre back with Petr Cech, who has something to prove after an indifferent Euro 2008, in goal.

It gets better moving in to midfield.

Frank Lampard, Joe Cole, Deco and Michael Ballack were all in there with John Obi Mikel playing the holding role and then there was a motivated, yes it’s true, Nicolas Anelka up front.

The football they played, mostly dictated by Deco who at £8 million is a steal, was wonderful to watch.

A real joy.

The skill and class oozed out of the boys in the blue, yet the power and strength needed in the Premiership remained.

Scolari only knows one way to play and that’s the Brazilian way.

With flair and in free flowing fashion.

He won the World Cup with doing it for heaven’s sake with the South Americans and almost led Portugal to Euro glory.

The Chelsea players, stifled in recent years, are going to love to be able to express themselves and as Pompey found out, they have the ability to do so.

Under big Phil, Chelsea are definitely going to be entertaining to watch.

Words that I haven’t been able to say since Gianfranco Zola was strutting his stuff at the Bridge.

And to think that they still have Didier Drogba, more hit than miss these days, and the magnificent Michael Essien to come into the side.

For me man mountain Essien is one of the most effective footballers in modern day world football.

The question is will all this brilliant football lead to the type of success that Mourinho’s more functional side brought to west London?

Manchester United, despite slipping up at home to Newcastle, will have something to say about that and how Scolari copes with Fergie's mind games could be decisive. Liverpool and Arsenal should be in the mix too.

Whatever the answer, I fancy Chelsea will be the most attractive side in the league this season.