When the midfielder receives the ball on the edge of the penalty area, almost everyone inside the stadium now knows that she is going to shoot, but as head coach Sonia Bompastor remarked after our 3-0 win over West Ham on Sunday, there’s very little defenders can do about it.

The emergence of Chelsea Academy graduate Lexi Potter has allowed Walsh to move out of her usual role as a deep-lying playmaker and advance, safe in the knowledge that her young team-mate can always be relied upon to sweep up any loose balls.

Our previous performances had been so impressive that West Ham believed they must put every player behind the ball to stand any chance of taking anything from the game, and Walsh explained how we remained calm until Melvine Malard broke the deadlock after 38 minutes of perseverance.

‘It was important to finish the block with a win, and I thought it was a good team performance,’ she said. ‘We have played a lot of tough games, so we're really happy with that.

‘It's about staying disciplined and just trusting it's going to come. They’re a good team. They're hard to break down, and it was about waiting for our chances to come. In the second half, we played a little bit quicker with more intensity.

‘We were pressing more, trying to go forward when we won it back, and that was the difference.’

Walsh doubled our advantage in the final stages with a superb long-range effort. But rather than bask in the glory, the ever-professional midfielder rued a missed opportunity when she hit the post after 67 minutes. Such discontent explains everything about the standards she sets for herself.

‘I was a bit disappointed with the one that hit the post and didn't go in,’ she reflected. ‘I probably should have scored it. I'm enjoying my football, and I think we're playing really well as a team.

‘We've got each other's backs, and if it's not me scoring, it's someone else. I’m really happy to be in this team. We have good momentum; we’re in good form, and we probably don't want the break to come. I'm enjoying the games, and the more games I play, the happier I am.’

Sunday's win marked our sixth consecutive clean sheet in all competitions. Our success in attack has been built on those rock-solid foundations at the back. It’s been nine hours since the Blues last conceded a goal, something that Bompastor puts down to an increased focus on physical tenacity and a strong group mindset. Walsh explained more about this season’s focus.

‘I didn't know it was nine hours!’ she gasped. ‘It seems like a long time! It’s the way they're all playing at the back, to be honest. There’s a massive focus on first and second balls as well, and we're definitely doing better at that this year.

‘Whoever has played in our back three has been incredible, and Hannah (Hampton) too: the save she made in the Champions League shows the quality she brings. It’s a case of trusting each other's abilities and staying really compact as a team and fighting for each other. That sort of record is a team effort; it's not just the back four or five.

‘In the first half we were making a lot of balls to the front of the press from centre-back. A lot of opportunities come when you pick the second balls up, and that's always something that we really try and focus on, and I think we've done that really well. Hopefully that continues, and we keep building the momentum on this good run that we've just had.’