Kai Havertz is certain to have a growing list of admirers following yet another crucial goal, this time against Newcastle United.
The German international took Jorginho's pass in his stride and finished with almost unbelievable ease to earn Chelsea a win with his 89th minute strike. With that moment in isolation, few would consider that he was signed as anything but a forward for the Blues. For now, there's little doubt that he is the number one choice to lead the forward line over his teammate Romelu Lukaku.
Havertz matched the Belgian's goal tally for the season on Sunday as he recorded his 11th strike of the season, and affirmed his place as the Blues' top goalscorer since Thomas Tuchel took charge at Stamford Bridge with 15 goals. There was once plenty of talk of Havertz's role being as false 9, but it's becoming more and more clear that he can be a striker and he sees himself as such.
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"For us as strikers it was hard," he said after the game, "For everyone, but every long ball you had something in your back, the defenders of them are very strong, very tall and it's not always easy to find solutions.
"Sometimes football is like that, you don't have always the easy solution, you have to stay strong in the game and when they come you have to do it."
It was a battling performance from Havertz, one in which he left Dan Burn on the floor as he scored the winning goal, and also in the first half after a challenge that might have just been on the edge of him staying on the pitch. They were moments that showed his timing, guile and physicality. There's a reason he's so successful in the air.
Even with Chelsea struggling to fashion chances, the German star was involved as he tried to hold up the ball, and work in rotation with the likes of Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner. But more than anything, the relationship he is building with supporters is evident.
Any of his struggles in adapting, have been overcome by the importance of the goals he scores. One that wins the Champions League goes far, but even of his 15 goal involvements this term, 11 have been vital in Chelsea achieving a result. The player and supporters clearly have trust in one another.
Havertz said: "To score a goal like this in the last minute is nice, to have the supporters around, they give everything for us on the pitch and to give them something back is nice for me. I see the pitch, I try to do what I love, try to stay focused, not to listen to any noises but of course when you have a support like this the whole game, it gives you a lot of trust. Not only this game, I think the supporters are always behind us, behind me and today it worked very well."
The result is in deep contrast to Lukaku, despite him also offering 11 goals. His interview with Sky Italia lives long in the memory, and the Belgian's seven-touch performance likewise despite signs of promise during the Club World Cup.
Havertz has provided a consistency in his level when not scoring that Lukaku has been unable to live up to and his ability to feed off the fans gives him a freedom the former Manchester United star will not be afforded.
