Chelsea really do mean business under Enzo Maresca. Despite a lot of scepticism about his appointment as head coach after Mauricio Pochettino had started to get Chelsea travelling in the right direction once again prior to his exit, the decision to turn to the Italian now looks to be a masterstroke.
The Blues are absolutely flying in the Premier League at present, with Sunday's 4-3 victory over Tottenham highlighting that they can deal with whatever challenges comes their way in their current rich vein of form. Maresca's team are scoring for fun and the best thing is that they look like they are only going to get better as the season goes on.
Maresca keeps playing down Chelsea's chances of contesting the title but deep inside he may truly believe that he and his team can challenge the Premier League's best for the top honour between now and May. After all, Chelsea are currently four points behind league leaders Liverpool having played one game more.
The Reds' game in hand is due to come against Everton at some point in 2025 after Storm Darragh wreaked havoc on parts of the country over the weekend and resulted in the postponement of the Merseyside Derby. Arne Slot's side, on paper at least, will be expected to win that game at Goodison Park but there are never any guarantees in a derby match, especially with it set to be the last one at Everton's famous home.
By the time that game comes around the Premier League table could look a whole lot different. Chelsea are showing no sign of going away right now and they will only continue to head in one direction if the keep going from strength to strength. The west London club's transfer approach has been heavily criticised during Todd Boehly's reign but it is Chelsea and those connected to the club who are laughing right now.
Even though the team did find themselves 2-0 behind after 11 minutes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday, Chelsea were never down and out due to the players at Maresca's disposal and the spirit in the side. Cole Palmer has dominated the headlines since his move from Manchester City, but Chelsea are far from a one-man team.
Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernandez and Romeo Lavia all proved their worth in north London, with Jadon Sancho displaying his form from his Borussia Dortmund days and giving the team hope with a sublime strike that gave Fraser Forster no chance. Nicolas Jackson is also looking to be a shrewd acquisition amid some question marks over him earlier in his Chelsea career and Levi Colwill continues to go from strength to strength under Maresca's guidance
It also helps when you have players such as Malo Gusto, Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke and Joao Felix to bring off the bench if needed. What is a key driving force in this Chelsea team right now is the togetherness of the squad, which helped them get the job done in the second half after Palmer's two penalties either side of Enzo's volley.
Togetherness is maybe one thing you would expect them to lack a bit of due to the sheer size of the squad and the fact that Maresca can play two completely different teams in both the Premier League and Europa Conference League, but the full-time celebrations at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday said everything.
Maresca's reaction in his technical area at the sound of the whistle highlighted just how important and how impressive the win was to come from two goals behind against Spurs. The head coach and the entire Chelsea squad then went over to the jubilant away faithful in the far corner and celebrated their latest victory.
Speaking in his post-match press conference about the celebrations, Maresca said: "We work every day for these kind of moments, celebrating with the fans. For sure, tonight was a derby and the way we are in this moment, we are all happy. To share that moment is fantastic.
"We need our fans, home and away. I will tell them now in this moment that we need them against Brentford. It won't be an easy game so we need them to help and push us."
After an incredibly mixed time of it over the past few years, Chelsea supporters know that they have their team back thanks to Maresca and his players. That togetherness and collective spirit, which was there for all to see at full-time, is a huge weapon for Chelsea right now and it could possibly make all the difference come May as they look to finish the season with silverware.