5 THINGS WE LEARNED LAST NIGHT

1 CESC FABREGAS is unlikely to get anywhere near this kind of room against Barcelona, but Hull handed him a valuable confidence booster. The Spain midfielder produced an assist for the first time since Boxing Day and Chelsea will need his creativity with chances at a premium in the Champions League. They could do without him repeating his poor challenge for the Hull penalty, though.

2 SOMETHING about the loan system is broken when a Championship team are left with three key defenders ineligible for a game like this. Hull were without Fikayo Tomori, Michael Hector and Ola Aina — all Chelsea loanees — and their defence looked stretched. Limiting the number of players that can be taken on loan from one club would stop it from happening again.

3 GARY CAHILL has clearly been moved by Ryan Mason’s retirement this week. The Chelsea captain’s programme notes were almost entirely devoted to the player with whom he clashed heads when Mason suffered his skull fracture 13 months ago. ‘I can’t even imagine what he’s feeling and going through,’ Cahill wrote. ‘It was heartbreaking.’

4 ETHAN AMPADU (left), just 17 and playing for Exeter City this time last year, already looks like a future leader of Chelsea’s back line. The young Welshman was trusted with the central role in Conte’s back three and roared at his own captain, Cahill, to follow his lead when Chelsea needed to press higher up the pitch.

5 CHELSEA’S desire to win seems to be back — but Willian perhaps went unnecessarily far in his attempts to put off David Meyler before his missed penalty. It was already 4-0 at that point and while Meyler laughed off the distraction, he never looked confident on the spot.