Cole Palmer's five-word response gave Enzo Maresca perfect gift as Chelsea thrive

Chelsea have now won five matches on the spin and avoided defeat since October. Tottenham became their latest victims on Sunday, and the victories are coming thick and fast, with Southampton and Aston Villa also being cast aside since the start of the month.

The Blues are now second behind Liverpool in the Premier League table, having scored more goals than any other team in the division and put daylight between themselves and last season’s title protagonists, Arsenal and Manchester City.

But the message around the Chelsea camp has been remarkably consistent: lower expectations and keep the pressure off.

Cole Palmer did exactly that following the 3-0 win over Villa last weekend. The 22-year-old set up one goal and scored another, putting him even further ahead at the top of Chelsea’s goals and assists charts.

But despite the team’s scintillating form and his own red-hot streak in front of goal, Palmer’s five-word response when asked about title chances was telling, as he said: “Nah, it’s too early man.”

Manager Enzo Maresca – appointed ahead of this season – has worked his magic to get a consistent tune out of a Chelsea squad which was still wildly inconsistent under Mauricio Pochettino last campaign.

And he will be keen to make sure his stars continue playing with ultimate freedom, away from the stresses and strains Liverpool, Arsenal and City face on their quest to top the table. Any less for those three high-fliers simply won’t do.

After the 4-3 win over Spurs last time out, Maresca echoed Palmer’s message and reinforced that his players should be free from title pressure. “After the game, my message to the players is to be focused on the day‑by‑day, our sessions, the next game on Thursday and then Sunday,” he explained.

“The main focus has to be to enjoy the day off and when we come back train well, go for the game. The fans can dream because from the outside it is quite clear and inside the reality is we are not ready. The important thing is we improve day by day.”

With four more matches to cram in before Christmas Day, Maresca will get a valuable opportunity to rotate his side against Astana this Thursday before it’s back to Premier League duties at home to Brentford.