Just a couple of minutes after being described as “fragile” by head coach Maurizio Sarri, Álvaro Morata stopped in the Stamford Bridge tunnel and revealed how he has even blamed the rain for missed chances since his club record move to Chelsea.

Morata had taken his scoring streak to five goals in six games against Crystal Palace, but was still annoyed by the fact he had squandered the chance to take the matchball home.

The Spaniard could have appeared with a ‘told-you-so’ smirk or an air of arrogance for demonstrating that he has been written off too early by some critics.

But Morata is not into bravado, as Gianluigi Buffon once found when he discovered the striker crying after struggling in a Juventus training session, and he admitted he has had to stop looking for excuses.

“The most important thing is that, finally, I have found the right way and my head is OK,” said Morata. “In football, physical condition is very important, but the head is the most important thing. If you don’t have the head, if the mentality is not good, then you are in trouble.

“I had a period where everything... If it’s raining, I’m angry because it’s raining. If I miss, it’s because the pitch is too wet. It was only excuses. It was not good.