It's largely gone unnoticed that Chelsea recorded their third successive Premier League win – a feat they have not managed since October – by overcoming Burnley at the weekend. There is a rather good reason for that, though.
The run started at the end of January when the Blues defeated Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge. Then almost a month passed before a late Hakim Ziyech goal ensured victory over Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park. The 4-0 triumph at Turf Moor came a fortnight later.
Three wins in three different months. That can't have happened too often. And it certainly hasn't made it easy for Thomas Tuchel and his Chelsea players to build momentum in the top flight.
"We played two matches in the last six or seven weeks in the Premier League," Tuchel stated on Friday. "Normally you have a feeling for the competition and have a feeling for where are we [in terms of performance].
"We are on a good run, a good run of results, but you maybe don’t see it because we never got points on the [Premier League] table because the games were in the Club World Cup, Carabao Cup, then the FA Cup.
"It's a bit strange, but still we are in a good place in the table and we have to fight hard to stay where we are."
After 26 top-flight matches, Chelsea occupy third spot and hold a five-point advantage over Arsenal, who currently sit fourth. Below the Gunners are Manchester United and West Ham United, but both have played two games more than the Blues.
Tuchel's side is in a very strong position to secure a top-four finish. And supporters will hope they can do that with matches to spare, something which hasn't been achieved since the 2018/19 campaign under Maurizio Sarri.
The fixture list certainly gives Chelsea every opportunity. On Thursday evening, the Blues travel to bottom-of-the-table Norwich City and are overwhelming favourites to come away victorious from Carrow Road.
A home game against 14th-place Newcastle United, who have admittedly improved in recent weeks, follows on Sunday before matches against Brentford, Southampton and Leeds United. Of that trio, only the Saints currently sit in the top flight.
If – and it is a big if – Chelsea can take maximum points from those five Premier League matches then they will almost certainly go on to secure Champions League football for next season. It may even make their attempt to retain their European crown just that bit easier too.
Chelsea are on track to reach the Champions League quarter-finals once again; the Blues hold a two-goal advantage over Lille ahead of the second leg of their Round of 16 tie.
If Tuchel's side progresses as expected, they will play their quarter-final matches on either side of the trip to St Mary's. The semi-finals come at the end of the month, and hopefully at a stage when Chelsea's place in the Premier League top-four is all but secured.
If that is the case, it would enable Tuchel and his coaching staff to plan accordingly. Players could be rested, priority given to their European endeavours. That was not something Chelsea could do last term, although it didn't prove detrimental given their triumph in Porto.
Only Real Madrid have retained the Champions League since the European Cup's rebrand in 1992. It would certainly take some doing for Chelsea to repeat that achievement but one that is not beyond this current side.
What they must do, though, is make their life easier, starting on Thursday at Norwich.
