The players she chose did the job and claimed a comfortable victory, and there were also valuable minutes of individual action clocked up for the weeks ahead.

That does not mean the Chelsea manager was wholly satisfied with Wednesday evening’s display at Kingsmeadow, but her selection decision more than paid off.

‘Sunderland have played four at the back all season and they played five at the back in this game,’ Hayes explained. 'Breaking down that type of block, you have to have patience.

‘There was not a lot of space between the lines. Our first goal came from the second phase of a set piece, and Sjoeke [Nusken] is so dominant in the air I'm not surprised she scored. It’s the same for the front-post run for her second goal – again really good.

‘In the second half, we laboured a little and turned the ball over too much. We were sloppy in our passing but we recovered from that really well.

'I was impressed because, in a game that could peter out, Aggie [Beever-Jones] scores the third goal and the team demanded a higher standard from themselves.

‘The fourth and the fifth goals came as a result of some nice play and high standards from everyone.’

With Hayes deciding to give those who started 90 minutes, it meant Fran Kirby was in position to grab the final two goals of the evening.

‘Fran’s a player that always demands a lot and expects high standards, not just from herself but from the team,’ the manager said.

‘She’s happy she got on the scoresheet and it was a wonderful delivery from Jelena Cankovic for the goal to wrap up the game.

'Fran and all the players in the squad have to accept we’ve got a lot of quality and she has to play her part – and she is playing her part. I'm sure she'll have many more moments for the rest of the season.’

The selection policy against Sunderland also meant a first full game for teenage forward Maika Hamano, and just her second appearance following shoulder damage. The Japanese international signed at the start of 2023 before seeing a loan in Sweden cut short by the injury.

‘She's talented,’ said Hayes. ‘She's got to get adapted to the English game. She got the first yellow card of her career in this game – welcome to England! I am really happy with her.’