Chelsea left south London with all three points, with Estevao Willian, Joao Pedro and an Enzo Fernandez penalty securing the victory. The win moved us temporarily into the top four of the Premier League, before Manchester United then defeated Arsenal to leapfrog us.

Things could have been different if Eagles striker Jean-Phillipe Mateta had converted a one-on-one he had in the first half when the scores were goalless. However, a strong save from the legs of Rob Sanchez ensured we kept Palace at bay, and allowed us to the get into our groove.

Our attacking play had a real taste of Samba flavour, with Joao Pedro’s fellow Brazilian, Estevao opening the scoring. The teenager latched onto a loose pass from our opponents, before racing through on goal and firing past Dean Henderson.

That ensured we went into the internal in front and, as Joao Pedro put it himself, we didn’t allow Palace to reset and took full advantage shortly after the break. Estevao feeding our No.20, who bore down on goal before squeezing the ball beyond Henderson to double our lead.

It was a smart finish from Joao Pedro – highlighting the reasons why he was acquired from Brighton in the summer – and the forward was delighted to be on the scoresheet. However, he admitted that the overall team performance, and those precious three points, were what pleased him most.

‘It’s a really good win for us and everyone is very happy, because we worked hard for the three points,’ the striker explained when reflecting post-match.

‘I think the timing of the goals allowed us to control the game. We kept things tight to begin with, we didn’t let them in and then once Estevao scored I think we could breathe a little easier and keep them away.

‘It gave us a platform to build from, it meant we could organise well and then once we got the second goal after half-time, I think we controlled the game and were well worth the three points.

‘Scoring early in the second half was a big moment and it meant that Palace were not ready to readjust, and we could then take control.

‘It shows how important moments are in games, because before that we needed Rob [Sanchez] to make a big save at 0-0. If that goes in, it could have been a lot tougher for us but he made a great save and, as I said, it allowed us to build on that and once we scored, we felt in control.

‘I’m always happy to score but of course the main thing is getting the three points for the team. Of course, as a striker, you want to be scoring goals and I know if I get one chance, I’m capable [of scoring].

‘Once Estevao passed the ball to me, I felt confident that I could take the chance and I’m just very happy I managed to score and help the team.’

The victory means it’s now three wins on the spin for Chelsea, ahead of a huge Champions League clash with Napoli on Wednesday night.

It’s been a strong start under head coach Liam Rosenior and Joao Pedro has said that he is enjoying life under our new gaffer.

‘We are progressing well and we are all enjoying life under the new manager,’ said the Brazilian.

‘He’s very important for us and we are happy working with him. When you play for Chelsea, you expect to win and he says the same. I’m very happy here and I hope we can kick on now, starting with a big game against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday.

‘We have to be ready for that and I’m sure the manager will make sure that we are.’