Victories such as last night’s against Ajax will certainly help Maresca’s cause, as the Blues scored five under the lights at Stamford Bridge and made it back-to-back wins in the Champions League. It was also a record-breaking night, as our Italian head coach selected the youngest starting XI in this season’s Champions League so far and the second youngest ever named by an English club in the competition.

On the pitch, Estevao Willian became the third-youngest player to convert a penalty and our youngest scorer in the competition, with Marc Guiu, Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Tyrique George also etching their names onto the scoresheet during the 5-1 win.

Maresca was pleased with the efforts of his entire team during the rainy autumnal conditions, as the Blues made it four consecutive wins across all competitions for the first time this campaign.

The head coach considers that part of the success has come from capitalising on our momentum, but he also recognises that it will be important to stay grounded as we turn our focus to this weekend’s tussle with Sunderland.

‘We always say the same, but at the end it's because it's true – we always go game by game,’ Maresca opened, speaking after our win over the Dutch side.

‘I think it was good to win [against Ajax] to continue the momentum, but now in 48 hours we have one more game that is very demanding, our Premier League game against Sunderland.

‘I think it's good for everyone, for the club, but it's a win, and personally, it doesn't mean too much in terms of the season. It's just to continue playing games, trying to win, and trying to improve players – this is the main thing.’

Maresca also recognises that our good form and momentum will only help his young squad.

‘We need to continue on that, knowing that it's a tough game against Sunderland,’ he added. ‘They are doing very well, but we're going to try to prepare the game with the same intention that we’ve had since day one, that is to try to win the game, and then we'll see.’