Havertz scored in each half against a Fulham side battling hard for their Premier League status. They gave us a serious run for their money and Edouard Mendy had to be at this best at times, but thankfully Kai showed his clinical edge to secure the victory.

‘This win is crucial,’ stressed the 21-year-old.

‘We have to come in the top four, that’s our goal for the season. We rotated a little bit, we had some new players on the pitch, and Fulham had one week to train for the game, so we did well.

‘It was a very good for me to score an early goal. It gave me a little bit of confidence. The position is very good for me, something between a false nine and a number 10. I’m very happy to help the team with the goals. I hope I can continue on Wednesday like this.’

It needed some magic from Mason Mount to supply Havertz with his opening goal of the day, and then his compatriot Timo Werner provided a sublime assist of his own to crucially dent Fulham’s confidence early in the second period.

‘When you get assists like this it is easy to score goals, so a big thanks to them,’ remarked Havertz.

‘We have a lot of quality players, it is fun to play with them, we are very young. It’s easy to create chances and that’s the aim for the strikers, to score goals. When you have players like this behind your back it’s good. I am very lucky they helped me like this.

‘The team-mates have helped me and the other new players very much,’ he added.

‘Sometimes you need help from other players. They gave me a lot of confidence and helped me. I am very happy to have these team-mates, and I am very happy to score and give them a little bit back.’

Thomas Tuchel was full of praise for Havertz after the game, noting how his attitude was exemplary despite not starting at West Ham or against Real Madrid.

For the young attacker, such rotation comes with the territory of representing a big club like Chelsea. He just wants to keep making an impact when he is selected.

‘I am always desperate to start games. I play football to play games. I know we have a lot of quality players in the team. Sometimes other players play, and to be honest the other players did very good in the last two matches.

‘I keep on going, I train hard, I give my best when I’m on the pitch. The first half of the season was tough for me, I had Covid and was a little bit injured. Now I’m fully back. Of course I know we have a lot of quality players so sometimes you have to stay on the bench.

‘Team wins are the most important thing for us, more important than your own ambitions or goals. I am always happy to help the team, and we will see on Wednesday.’