While three goals were hitting the Tottenham Hotspur net on Sunday afternoon, the defence was keeping a clean sheet impressively, and one of the key players at the heart of that was the 27-year-old signing from Lyon.

As she looked back on the game, Hayes revealed that a recent change in the rearguard shape has a lot to do with the summer arrival.

‘Kadeisha came in when we had a sort of hybrid back system where Kadeisha was the central player within that until two games ago,’ the manager revealed. ‘I felt that we weren't able to bring the best out of her because she was always driving centrally with the ball.

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‘So we adjusted for the last game with Millie and her [together in the centre of a back-four] and all I see now is her flourishing.

‘What I will say about that [how she was being asked to play before] is not once did she complain, not once did she hide. She always says to me coach, what do you need from me? But the minute I put her into that new position, I can just see that her communication and confidence and everything is increasing, and this game was clearly her best in a Chelsea shirt.

‘I think there's so much room for improvement again positionally for her, but what a joy it is to coach her – a really respectful human being who is going to add so much to our team.’

Some of the thought that went into the important adjustments in the team came during the six weeks while Hayes was watching from a distance as she recovered from an operation. With Sunday her first match back in full charge again, she reported how it had gone on a personal level.

‘The first half I felt fine, the second half my back was killing me when it got cold, but I felt like I hadn't been away,' she said.

‘I couldn’t tell you exactly how many games of football I've coached in my career but it’ll be over 1000 I suspect. This is the longest I've ever been with a team and it just felt like I was going back out to my family.

‘I felt like the spectator for the most part, just giving little bits of information as and when necessary. I really enjoyed it.’