The Blues were a menace from the first whistle at Selhurst Park on Saturday, and by the 10-minute we had already established a two-goal lead courtesy of Kai Havertz and Christian Pulisic.

There was no let-up as we sensed blood and Mount’s free-kick was headed into the net by Kurt Zouma to extend our lead. We had scored three goals for the first time since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival, and it had only taken 30 minutes such was the precision of our passing, pressing and finishing.

‘I don’t think it has come together like that since our first game together,’ reckoned Mount.

‘It was always coming; it was always brewing. We started off very sharp. At the top of the pitch our combinations were good, we were creating chances and we took them. That’s something we probably haven’t been doing as much recently.

‘We know we have a lot of quality in the team. When we’re on it and we’re creating chances we can score a lot of goals. It hadn’t happened like that but it has now and that’s great for us.

‘We came into the game with a lot of confidence after Porto knowing what we can do. As a team we felt very strong. We know what is on the line. We’re still in three competitions so every game is so important.’

Mount was part of a three-pronged attack that clicked in the final third, with Pulisic at his decisive best and Havertz starring in a central role.

It was some of the German’s contributions that really caught the eye, particularly in the first half, and he was rewarded with his first goal since January.

‘We all know what he has got in his locker,’ said Mount of Kai’s class.

‘Him in the box is very dangerous. He opened up on his left and tucked it into the far corner, and that’s what we see in training. It was a brilliant finish and I’m very happy for him.’