The real Chelsea are starting to show their true qualities, according to midfielder Nemanja Matic.
The Blues crushed Manchester United by four goals to nil, inflicting the worst Premier League defeat onto former manager Jose Mourinho.
It means Chelsea have picked up nine points from nine and have quietened the critics that were starting to surround manager Antonio Conte.
The Serbian said: “At the moment we are playing good. We have won the last three games, but it's very important to continue like this.
“This was the real Chelsea. It is not easy to win 4-0 against a strong team like Manchester United. I'm very happy to win a big game.”
After the 3-0 defeat to Arsenal in September, the Blues were under pressure especially after their 10th placed finish last season and Matic believes that the loss stung Chelsea into action.
He added: “Sometimes you need to lose a game to wake up. I think the Arsenal game was a wake-up call for us.
“We knew that we had to do better, to work more and that's what we have done. It's easy to say you need to work hard than to actually do it.
“But after the Arsenal game we needed to improve. We had quality in the team, but we had to show it.
“In the last three games we have shown quality, scored goals and not conceded, which is very important.”
Chelsea looked fired up to prove a point to former manager Jose Mourinho but Matic played down the impact the self-styled Special One had on the Blues' display, maintaining he has a lot of respect for the Manchester United manager.
“Every game is a big motivation for us. We play for a big club. That doesn't change. It doesn't matter who we play,” he explained.
“He was our coach and we respect him, me especially. He brought me back here from Benfica so I have big respect for him.”
The win now leaves Chelsea a point behind leaders Manchester City and the Blues will consider themselves as early-season title contenders after their recent run of form.
Matic stated: “The League is like this. Every game is very hard. Manchester City started very well but in the last few games they have been dropping points, which is good for us.
“The season is long. We will see what happens in May. Every game is a different story.”
