Not quite Barcelona. Not yet anyway and Andre Villas-Boas will not be fooled into believing it will always be this easy.
But 24 hours after telling his men they have to surpass the Catalan pass masters if they are to finally conquer the biggest peak of all, the new man on the Bridge had real reasons to smile last night.
A glittering demonstration of what Fernando Torres is capable of in his pomp, total dominance and a record home Champions League win were just part of it as Chelsea sent out a genuine message of intent.
All of that with half of the big guns ahead of tougher tests to come yet still playing with a swagger and style that suggested Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Mancini have more than just each other to worry about on the domestic scene as well.
Torres had waited two and a half years for a Champions League goal, his last in the competition coming AGAINST Chelsea for Liverpool at Anfield in April 2009.
That logjam was broken in devastating fashion as the Spaniard, even without Juan Mata to feed him, grabbed a brace that could easily have been doubled or better, arguably benefiting from his enforced break through that three-game ban for his Swansea red card.
Further goals from Raul Meireles, Branislav Ivanovic and substitute Salomon Kalou only served to reinforce Chelsea's superiority, although perhaps the biggest long-term plus was the poise, balance and intelligence demonstrated by holding midfielder Oriol Romeu, suggesting he is, as billed, the next Sergio Busquets.
Admittedly this was the sort of game that made a mockery of UEFA President Michel Platini's decision to open up the Champions League to new clubs.
The injury-strapped Belgian minnows were hopeless almost beyond description, the only impression they made on the evening coming from their lurid magenta shirts.
But this was about what Chelsea did to them, a defenestration that was almost scientific in its clinical precision, further evidence of the changes Villas-Boas is making.
At times, even this season, Chelsea have been turgid in their transition, too slow to get the ball forward, lacking real penetration.
Yet last night, with Mata and Daniel Sturridge watching from the bench, Didier Drogba and skipper John Terry not even getting changed, Chelsea played with Genk like a cat toying with a lame mouse.
Villas-Boas knows he has to deliver not just an attractive Chelsea, but a winning one as well. Roman Abramovich will not settle for anything less.
The Russian, though, has waited nine months to see Fernando Torres look like a £50million player in the Champions League. Finally, on Wednesday night, he did.
Perceptive movement and inter-passing proved, beyond doubt, that Torres was on the same wavelength as his colleagues - including stand-in skipper Frank Lampard - with the goals duly arriving as Genk were cut to ribbons.
Torres, fed by Meireles' delightful chip, should have put them in front with their first attack, instead rolling the ball against the post, but before the half-hour Chelsea were already three to the good, with the Spaniard having two.
It was Meireles, though, who put Chelsea on their way. No Genk players were within hailing distance as he received from Ashley Cole 30 yards out, took two touches and then found the bottom corner.
Enter Torres. The first after swift passing between Romeu, operating deep but always available, and Lampard gave him the chance to pick his spot from the edge of the box, the second a glorious header from Meireles' right-wing cross.
Further chances were created, almost at will, before Ivanovic soared to power home Florent Malouda's inswinging free-kick just before the interval and while Chelsea understandably took their foot of the gas, they still looked for more.
Malouda, who missed a sitter before the interval, squandered another chance after it, Lampard was denied a stone-wall penalty and for a while Chelsea were taking turns to test keeper Laszlo Koteles' reactions from distance.
Eventually, inevitably, the fifth did come, although Torres missed out on his hat-trick.
Jose Bosingwa, barely in his own half all night, scampered forward to deliver into the danger-zone and while Koteles did brilliant to thwart Torres, Kalou was handily in the right place to thrash home.
Barcelona might not be quaking in their boots. This, though, was another significant step forwards.
Slowly, surely, remorselessly, Chelsea are clicking into gear. Not there, but on the way.
***
Chelsea (4-3-3): Cech 7; Bosingwa 7 (Alex, 78, 6), Ivanovic 7, Luiz 5, Cole 7 (Ferreira, 46, 6); Raul Meireles 8, Romeu 9, Lampard 7 (Kalou 68, 6); Anelka 7, Torres 9, Malouda 6
Genk (4-2-3-1): Koteles 5; Ngongca 6, Masuero 3 (Camus, 46, 5), Tozser 5, Pudil 5; Hyland 5, Vanden Borre 5; Buffel 6, Vossen 5 (Nwanganga, 81, 5), De Bruyne 6; Barda 5 (Ndabashinze, 72, 5)
Referee: Aleksei Nikolaev (Russia)
HERO: Torres - great movement, great finishing. Suspensions are good for him
VILLAIN: Maseuro - Genk centre-half was absolutely awful
Posted By Martin Lipton
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