Chelsea beat Southampton 3-1 on Saturday afternoon and they largely had those at the back to thank with both Trevoh Chalobah and Ben Chilwell finding the back of the net.
The Blues have been consistently excellent in defence since Thomas Tuchel took over at the start of 2021 and the two weekend strikes meant that defenders had contributed seven of the club's 15 Premier League goals this season.
It is a tally that means Arsenal (5) and Tottenham (6) have both scored fewer goals in total than Chelsea's back-line (7) have mustered all season.
Chalobah grabbed his second of the season on Saturday while Chilwell has joined Reece James, Antonio Rudiger, Marcos Alonso and Thiago Silva in finding the back of the net already.
Silva's arrival at the start of last season can be seen as the catalyst of Chelsea's solid defence under Tuchel, something club hero Ashley Cole had pointed to prior to the Blues' Champions League final clash with Manchester City.
"He’s certainly brought a calmness to that defence," Cole told Sky Sports back in May.
"He’s very assured at the back. I think the younger players around him, he’s getting that experience and of course that leadership into these younger players.
"Reece James has performed better, Chilwell as well has come back into the team and is doing well as well.
"You look at the subs and keeping that environment good, Alonso coming in after not playing and doing well."
Cole has clearly been proven right, as Silva put in the standout individual performance of Chelsea's season so far when they comfortably dispatched Tottenham 3-0 in north London, a game in which Silva found the net for the crucial opening goal.
Meanwhile, Tuchel has confirmed that the 36-year-old will not be available to face Brentford after the international break as he will be joining up with Brazil's squad.
