It may have been Enzo Fernandez who got the decisive goal, heading in Cole Palmer’s cross shortly after half-time to give us a 1-0 derby victory, but striker Jackson’s performance on Thursday night underlined his importance to the team in Maresca’s eyes.

The striker was unlucky not to get his name on the score sheet too, hitting the post in the very first minute of the game after getting in behind the Tottenham back line, an example of the different dimension our head coach believes he brings to the Blues.

‘Nico for us, I’ve said many times since we started, that he is an important player because he’s a threat for the defensive line,’ said Maresca after the win over Tottenham at Stamford Bridge.

‘Off the ball he’s pressing everyone. For sure with Nico we are a different team.’

That was particularly important in our last match, as we used that threat in behind from Jackson to stretch Spurs and look for quick opportunities to catch them short of numbers in defence.

Maresca views that ability to adjust our tactics to capitalise on the opposition’s strengths and weaknesses as vital to his plans, pointing to the different approach needed across our five home league wins in a row as an example.

‘This was a different game compared to before the international break. The last four games at home were Leicester, Southampton, West Ham and Wolves, four teams that sit back and wait for us.

‘Tottenham is a different kind of game, so for us in some ways it’s better. But it’s just a matter of different types of games.

‘We are together already for nine months, but until the day that I will leave here I will tell you that our game plan depends on the opponent. We cannot do the same game plan against Tottenham as against Leicester, because they play a completely different way.

‘So the reason last night we used more balls in behind is because of Tottenham, the way they defend, the way they press.’

Chelsea are quickly back in action after that win, making the short away trip across west London to face Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday. With eight matches remaining in that competition, Maresca knows every game will be crucial between now and the end of the season.

‘From Friday morning we are going to prepare for the next game against Brentford. From now on all the games are difficult for us, and for all the rest. So we are going to try to prepare for the next game in the best way and just go game after game.’