The emotion and exhaustion of the weekend’s League Cup win caught up with Chelsea on Wednesday night at Upton Park, as the Blues seemed to be running on empty in the second half of a wonderfully flowing London derby against West Ham.

But a 1-0 win was ground out, and everyone could finally relax after a memorable four-day spell.

Eden Hazard’s bullet header after 22 minutes was the only goal of the game, but it preserves Chelsea’s five-point cushion over Manchester City in the league.

Jose Mourinho gave everyone the rest of the week off as the Blues have a rare weekend without football, having been knocked out of the FA Cup.

Next up, the midweek return leg of the two-header against Paris St Germain. Now, here’s an outrageous prediction.

Kurt Zouma, acclaimed by Mourinho as “the new Marcel Desailly” after picking up his winner’s medal at Wembley, will take the record for the most Chelsea appearances.

It’s a tough challenge, and we’ll have to wait until 2035 to see if I’m right, but he really looks like a stayer.

Ron Harris was five short of 800 when he left in 1980, but I have a hunch that 20-year-old Zouma could catch him.

Mind you, John Terry – confirmed as having at least another season at Stamford Bridge – is marching on with 653 overall appearances.

Zouma still has not reached double figures, but the baby-faced French defender, who delights in the middle name Happy, moved up to midfield for the Capital One cup final, and was heralded by Mourinho as a star.

After the 2-0 win over Spurs, Mourinho’s sombre look vanished, and he said he felt just like a kid again.

Without Nemanja Matic, Mourinho surprised everyone by playing both Gary Cahill and Zouma in the same team, but it proved a tactical masterstroke as Zouma helped negate the threat posed by in-form Spurs striker Harry Kane.

Happy days indeed.