Chelsea’s win over Burnley was achieved without Moises Caicedo or Cole Palmer having to play a minute, something we have not seen too often in the past couple of seasons.

Without the injured Palmer, the team have had to scratch around for goals and rely on Caicedo’s phenomenal form to help them create their own chances as well as to prevent the opposition doing the same.

On the rare occasion they have tried to leave the Ecuador midfielder out of the line-up, they have been forced to bring him on post-haste once it became clear how helpless the team were without him.

Even in this game, as the first half wore on, it felt like things might be going that way. It was a slow start from the Blues and they lacked any control in the middle. Plenty of fans and pundits would have been wondering how long Enzo Maresca could last without turning to his main midfield dynamo.

Fortunately for Chelsea – and for Caicedo’s legs – it wasn’t necessary. A lovely goal out of nowhere put the Blues ahead and forced Burnley to open up. It was still tense through the second half, until Maresca’s team once again struck just as things were about to get really worrying and sealed the win.

It was a game where they just needed to get the job done, and they did that in the end. Andrey Santos played the game as Caicedo’s understudy and, while the team weren’t totally convincing, he did his bit in attack and in defence to make up for the key man’s absence.

With three important points in the bag, all attention turns now to this week’s more important tests against Barcelona and Arsenal. Eighteen months into Maresca’s reign, we will find out how good this team really are.

Find more from Will Faulks at Chelsea News