At around 5.45pm on Sunday evening, the area around Stamford Bridge was busy still, but it was beginning to empty apart from a group of around 30 to 40 supporters that had spotted someone very special.

In his pristine condition Mercedes, Enzo Maresca - who just less than two hours before was jumping for joy at full-time of Chelsea's victory against Leicester City in the Premier League - was leaving the stadium. Not as quickly as he might have hoped to, however, with a small group of fans trying to stop his car and get a photo with the Blues head coach. Maresca seemed happy to oblige but it was a stark contrast from the sort of treatment the Italian was getting earlier in the afternoon.

In stoppage time of the first half, when the score was level at 1-1, a supporter from the East Stand shouted in Maresca's direction: "What's the matter with you?", with a sentence or two with some not-so-nice words before he asked the question. He was frustrated - as were most inside Stamford Bridge by what they had witnessed in the opening 45 minutes. While the match was under control from Chelsea's perspective, an element of the game Maresca is very big on, there was a lack of cutting edge from the home side against the statistically second-worst team in the Premier League.

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Make no mistake about it, the Foxes are Championship-bound. For all of the fight and hunger they showed in SW6, the league table, particularly after 28 games of the season, does not lie. It is the same for Chelsea, who climbed up to fourth in the table. For all of the negatives since the turn of the year, the Blues have still been one of the best sides in the division throughout the season.

They were not at their best against Leicester and fans became frustrated but they quietly went and did something they are often criticised for not doing. That is scoring against a low block. Plenty of bottom-half sides have come to Stamford Bridge in recent seasons, sat back and made it as difficult for Chelsea as possible and that has stumped Chelsea on countless occasions.

Leicester went with a back five in west London on Sunday, much to Maresca's surprise, and for the majority of the game, they frustrated Chelsea and the atmosphere inside Stamford Bridge was not what Maresca was after. In an Instagram post before the game, the head coach called on the fans to get right behind the players in what was a big match in his side's chase of a Champions League spot.

After Marc Cucurella scored what turned out to be the only goal of the game, Maresca turned to those sat behind him in the East Stand and called for more. The roar inside Stamford Bridge after Cucurella scored was loud but the head coach wanted to maintain that level of noise to help the players pick up a much-needed three points in west London. A couple of minutes after Cucurella's goal, he did the same.

After the game, though, Maresca explained why he was left wanting more from the supporters. It is a two-way thing, of course, but the head coach claimed his players were doing enough to warrant the fans' backing. Instead, there were a few moans when Enzo Fernandez slowed down a counter-attack in the first half and passed the ball backwards instead. That, however, is the Maresca way of thinking: slow the game down, get some control of the ball and avoid a chaotic, end-to-end encounter.

He has made it perfectly clear that those who do not follow his ideology on the pitch will be substituted. Whether you are Robert Sanchez or Fernandez, it's Maresca's way or the highway.

Plenty of home fans stayed post-match to celebrate and applaud the players and the staff for their efforts with Chelsea now winning three matches in a row in all competitions. While they are matches a squad of this talent should be winning, it still takes some doing. And it has been done.

Pedro Neto encapsulated the effort those in Chelsea blue put in on Sunday afternoon with the Portuguese international collapsing to the floor as soon as the full-time whistle was blown. Neto has been used as a No.9 in the last few games and has done a tremendous job considering it is not his natural position. He has somewhat softened the blow of losing Nicolas Jackson at the start of last month.

While Neto did not score or assist on Sunday afternoon - something he managed to do in his two appearances before that - he put in an unbelievable effort and was singled out for that by Maresca during the head coach's press conference after the game. Football fans are difficult to please for the most part, but the majority will be delighted when they see what Neto did on Sunday - tireless running in warm conditions and putting his body on the line for the team.

Two of the players behind Neto were outstanding but for two very different reasons. Fernandez has been sensational for the Blues in recent matches with the Argentine really excelling in his role, a role he has continued to grow in as the season has progressed. There were questions over exactly what Fernandez's role in the Chelsea side was earlier in the campaign, but he has made himself untouchable more or less from the end of November.

His passion and effort are top notch and when he is playing with the confidence he has at the moment, his technique makes him a pure joy to watch. Moises Caicedo alongside him, is not too bad either.

In fact, he might be too good. Caicedo produced another excellent display on Sunday in the beautiful sunshine that bathed west London. The Ecuadorian midfielder won three of the four tackles he contested against Leicester while winning 11 of the 12 duels he was involved in as well. While Fernandez was keeping the play ticking along nicely in the attacking third, Caicedo was the man with the broom, sweeping up behind him.

It was not such a good afternoon for Cole Palmer, though, who was taken off the pitch on 73 minutes after another disappointing performance. Maresca revealed after the game that the 22-year-old had been struggling with an illness from 24 hours prior to the match and that influenced his decision. However, Palmer was not on it at all - yet again - and deserved to be taken off.

A first-half penalty miss was one of those 'you couldn't write it' moments. From the man that has, for the most part, had the golden touch ever since signing for Chelsea in the summer of 2023, nothing is going his way at this moment in time. The penalty itself was not disastrous, with Leicester goalkeeper Mads Hermansen producing a really impressive stop down to his left-hand side. Palmer almost had a slight smile on his face as he collected the ball for the resulting corner - a smile that summed up his disbelief over his form right now.

Going into the matches with Copenhagen in midweek and Arsenal next weekend, both being big ones for countless reasons, Palmer has not scored for nine matches in all competitions. He will not want to make it 10 games without a goal - players of his calibre cannot let that happen.

Fortunately, Chelsea did not need Palmer's goalscoring touch on Sunday as Maresca, who was very passionate throughout the afternoon, saw off his former club Leicester, who look Championship-bound. To sum up Maresca's passion, he lost his cool at fourth official Sam Barrott on 80 minutes after Jadon Sancho's effort struck the arm of Conor Coady inside of the box.

The Video Assistant Referee took a quick look at the incident but decided to stick with the referee's on-field decision of no penalty. Maresca jumped up in the air when the ball struck Coady's arm before running towards Barrott and unleashing his fury on the official.

And after the game, it was very clear how proud Maresca was of his players for their efforts on the day. He came across like a proud dad when speaking in his post-match presser. Back-to-back victories in the league and two clean sheets in the process - the first time they have done that since way back in September.