Antonio Conte declared himself a happy man as Chelsea beat West Bromwich Albion 4-0 on Saturday, warming the Blues up nicely for what their manager described as their biggest game of the season on Wednesday.
A brace from Eden Hazard combined with goals from Alvaro Morata and Marcos Alonso helped Chelsea to all three points at the Hawthorns, ahead of a mid-week Champions League game against Qarabag, from which the Blues could seal their place in the last 16.
"It was important for us to start this very busy period with a good victory," said Conte.
"I think this [Quarabag] could be the most important game of the season, we have the possibility to go through into the next round of the Champions League and to start our path this way was very positive."
Regarding the game itself, Conte was pleased with the ease at which Chelsea dealt with West Brom's threat, the Blues having had the win virtually sealed at half-time.
"We struggled last season against West Brom last season, the game became easy because we started very well. We showed great concentration, focus and solidity.
"It became easy because we played very well, West Brom are a good team, strong physically and it's very difficult to play against them."
Can Blues catch City?
"I hope," Conte joked as he was asked about the chances of Chelsea going on another 13 game winning run, as they did last season.
"In this league it's not simply to go on this type of run because every game is difficult, you have to play with great focus or drop points.
"But four wins in a row is very important for our confidence. We started this season with many problems but were are trying, slowly, to find the right solution. I'm very happy, especially with the performance and the commitment of my players.
"It [the title] doesn't depend on us, there is Manchester City. They're playing very well and they're having fantastic results, but we have to continue to play this way and show this solidity, to create chances."