The Blues had the better of the play in terms of possession and shots on goal at Craven Cottage, especially during a strong second-half showing, but had been behind for an hour as the match entered the final 10 minutes.

However, the team kept up the pressure on Fulham in pursuit of an equaliser, which duly arrived in the form of substitute Tyrique George’s first Premier League goal. Once it arrived we continued to push until Neto struck deep into added time to spark the derby celebrations.

That secured an important three points – our first on the road in 2025 – and put us back into the Champions League qualification spots, but it was the character and spirit shown by the team’s comeback which excited the Portuguese international most.

‘It could be a good part of the season for us,’ said the winger. ‘We showed the character. To be honest I have no words to describe what this team has done.

‘It’s not easy to spend all season in the top four and then be out of it before this game, but the character the team showed is really good. We have to think about Everton next week and winning against them too.

‘The belief has always been there, even in the bad moments. Everyone has bad moments and what you have to do is continue like this.

‘Sometimes the game is not about the quality, it is about the spirit, and that is what we showed today, the mentality we have and the group that we are, and I think that we deserved it today.’

It was two brilliant, instinctive goals which ensured all the points would heading back across SW6 to Stamford Bridge, going from 1-0 down in the 83rd minute to 2-1 up in the fifth minute of injury-time. First George swept into the bottom corner from the edge of the box, before Neto hammered a thunderous shot past Bernd Leno in the Fulham net.

The latter admits it was a satisfying moment, having seen what he thought was destined to be the Chelsea equaliser somehow stopped by Leno, earlier in the match.

‘When I received the ball I just spun around and shot as hard as I can, and the ball went in,’ explained Pedro.

‘The first one Leno did an unbelievable save and he said to me how unlucky I was. I was so frustrated that for the second one I had to put all the power in the ball. So I was happy that I could help the team and we got the three points.

‘What a finish it was by Tyrique. He has been working with us for a while already. In the middle of the week we were all joking with him because of one he did in training and today he showed what he can do. He scored a beautiful goal.’

Neto’s last words after this memorable victory at Craven Cottage were reserved for the Chelsea supporters, following fantastic scenes of the players and fans celebrating the come-from-behind win together at the final whistle.

‘I think the fans don’t have the notion of the part they play for the club, with the environment they create in the stadium, like against Tottenham,' he said. 'Today at the end of the game is what we need from them because they are wonderful. They play a big part for the team.

'Of course, us on the pitch, we understand that sometimes they are upset with us, but what we need is them to back us up, because with them we are stronger. That’s what they did today. We won the game in a difficult place against a difficult team and we are really happy.’