It took him a little while to get going but by the end of a breathless second half, with players from both sides strewn across the Stamford Bridge surface, N'Golo Kante bore the appearance of a man who was ready for some more.
Which is good news for Chelsea because the 2-1 defeat to Liverpool strongly enforced the feeling that the France midfielder is the engine, battery and steering wheel of Frank Lampard's zippy vehicle.
On a basic tactical level how the role he has been tasked with, on the right of a midfield three, really differs from the one he carried out under Maurizio Sarri is debatable. From an objective distance it seems that there is no difference at all, apart from the Italian being pilloried for having the temerity to use Jorginho at the base of his midfield in spite of the pre-existing consensus that that was the only position for Kante.
Funny how there has been no criticism of the formation in the three games that Kante, who had been carrying knee and ankle injuries since the end of last season, has started under Lampard.
Yet if there is one thing Sarri does deserve criticism for in retrospect it was the way he used Kante in the EFL Cup and Europa League, putting the 28-year-old at risk of burnout and proving little apart from that his supply of energy is not limitless after all. Did he really need to start games against Derby County or Malmo, for instance?
The problem, Sarri may argue, is that Kante is a victim of his own success, so good that resting him becomes too much of a risk.
How Lampard manages his game time this season is key, and something the head coach has obviously given much consideration to already, because Kante is also more vital to Chelsea than he was 12 months ago.
Last season Sarri at least had another world-class player in his squad but with Eden Hazard moving to Real Madrid, Kante is the only player at Stamford Bridge that opposition teams unanimously want in their team.
Would any other Chelsea player slot straight into the Liverpool side that they faced yesterday? Doubtful.
A man initially viewed as a destroyer when he signed from Leicester City in the summer of 2016 is now Chelsea's all-action hero, more important than he has been for any team in his career - even Leicester City’s title winners.
Talk of a one-man team seems over the top - not to mention rather unfair towards the young players who are blooming at SW6 - but few can argue that for Lampard's plan to be executed properly he needs Kante at his best.
His goal - the turn, the unorthodox finish - was quite special but there were other moments against the Premier League leaders, a couple not so obvious, which made it clear that he is an even greater asset than before.
There were still some quintessential Kante actions, not least the interception to deny Mohamed Salah as Liverpool counterattacked at a time when the hosts were pouring all they could forward in search of an equaliser.
But it was his work further up the pitch, the fleeting moments where he was acting like a makeshift No10 attempting to thread through neat passes on the edge of Liverpool’s penalty area, that indicated how he has become so much more than the interrupter-in-chief.
"We end up not being surprised by Kante which is not fair on him,” Lampard said afterwards. “He did it in the Super Cup without training and he did it today while probably not match-fit.
“He is so important for us. He showed his qualities and there will be more of that. The goal was great.”
The 28-year-old's afternoon had actually started off unconvincingly.
In the sixth minute he was brushed off the ball by Fabinho with rare ease on the halfway line and there was a ten-minute spell midway through the opening period when he did not make a single pass. Did this mean he was still not right, perhaps? There was no need to be worried.
Kante was soon up to speed, covering the ground with that distinctive gliding gait that seems more akin to an elite marathoner than a footballer.
Midway through the second half there was another piece of vintage Kante, not picked up on Match of the Day’s highlights. A Chelsea attack had broken down on the right, allowing Andrew Robertson an opportunity to advance the ball forward.
Or so the Liverpool left back thought. Before Robertson, no slouch, had an opportunity to latch on to the loose ball Kante appeared. In the blink of an eye it seemed that he had gone from being out of the shot to the centre of the screen.
Lampard had cautioned that it might take a couple of games for Kante to get back up to speed. He needed just an hour.
Now the key for Chelsea’s coaching staff, despite the obvious temptation, is to ensure he is kept fresh - and that starts with him being nowhere near Wednesday night’s squad to face Grimsby Town.
