With our trip to Athens coming between Premier League games against Liverpool and Newcastle United, the Chelsea head coach opted to make 11 changes to his starting line-up for our Conference League clash.

Yet that decision didn’t impact the quality of our performance and a brace from Joao Felix, a Mykhailo Mudryk header, and a penalty from Christopher Nkunku ensured we secured three points.

‘What we want is what the players are doing: taking the chance when we give the chance,' Maresca said after our victory in the Greek capital. 'Tonight again they showed this and I’ve said since we started that if we want to be there and compete we need all the players doing the right things. They are doing that.

‘For sure, on Sunday [against Newcastle], we will make changes because we have more players [to choose from] but the important thing is they perform in the right way and the identity of the team remains the same.’

Maresca continued: ‘It was a very good performance. I think we struggled a little at the beginning of the game, especially off the ball in the way we were pressing. Then we made an adjustment and we were much better. On the ball, I think we were good.

'The performance was good and the important thing, I’ve always said, is that no matter how many players we change you can see the identity of the team. We can do things better for sure but I think the identity is clear, the way we play on the ball, and when we don’t have the ball.’

Mudryk's goal, which arrived three minutes into the second period, was his first of the campaign and after celebrating with his teammates, the Ukraine international shared a moment with Maresca on the touchline.

‘I’m very happy but not for me, for him,' Maresca explained. 'We as a staff spend a long time helping the players, not only Misha but the whole squad, and since we started we have been working with all the wingers so that they arrive inside the box and into the position where Misha scored.

'He has struggled to arrive there but he is now arriving there and it’s where we will score goals. It’s the same for Jadon (Sancho), Noni (Madueke), Pedro (Neto), all the wingers, they need to be in that position because the ball is going to arrive in that position.'