Mauricio Pochettino recalled Mudryk to the starting line-up for yesterday’s visit of Brighton to Stamford Bridge, having been used off the bench since suffering an injury at the end of October, shortly after scoring on his last start, in the 2-2 draw with Arsenal.

It turned out to be quite a game to return in, with plenty of twists, after we took a 2-0 lead through Enzo Fernandez and Levi Colwill headers, before going in at half-time 2-1 up but a man down following Conor Gallagher’s sending off.

However, Mudryk was brought down in the box when poised to shoot one-on-one, allowing Enzo to extend our lead from the penalty spot, even if we had to dig in at the end to secure the win after Brighton scored a second in added time.

‘It’s a great result for us but it was a very nervous last 10 or 15 minutes,’ said Mudryk after the final whistle.

‘Having 10 minutes’ of additional time, it’s always hard. When you play 10 men against 11 it’s always going to be tough, but I’m very proud of our team and it’s a great win for us.’

Mudryk also voiced his appreciation for the Chelsea supporters, who made a big contribution of their own from the stands during a raucous fixture at the Bridge, especially during that tense finish.

‘It boosts me a lot and I really appreciated all the support of our fans. I really love them and thank them for their support. I try to do my best always.’

There is no time for Mudryk and his Chelsea team-mates to rest and reflect on the win, though, as this match kicked off a busy run of matches for the Blues this month, which sees us averaging a match every three days from now until 30 December.

The next of those is away at Manchester United on Wednesday evening, but Mykhailo believes the Blues are up for the challenge, especially if we can bring a few more players back from the treatment room and onto the pitch during this period.

‘I think we are ready,’ he added. ‘I hope we have no new injuries and some of the injured players come back. We have a really strong squad and I think we’re ready for this month.’