Why Willian’s form for Chelsea this season sees him as one of the Premier League’s most underrated stars

The only surprise, at the end of another brilliant Willian performance in the bitter cold at Leicester City on Sunday afternoon, was that eventually he ran out of steam. Two minutes into extra time, Antonio Conte had to do something he is not used to, hauling Willian off to bring on Pedro, the man whose header eventually put Chelsea into the semi-finals.

But Conte admitted afterwards that after all his recent exertions, Willian was “very tired, very, very tired”, having run so hard at the Nou Camp on Wednesday night. Even supermen have their limits. As pleased as Conte was with Willian’s performance before then. “Willy played a fantastic game with the ball, without the ball,” he said. “He is in a fantastic physical condition and I’m very pleased with his commitment and his contribution.”

Before then, it had been yet another performance of combined athletic, technical and tactical excellence from a man who is one of the most complete, selfless, unfussy attacking midfielders in the division. Willian is not going to win player of the year this season, not up against Harry Kane, Mohamed Salah, Kevin De Bruyne and David Silva. But his excellence, under the radar in an under-performing team, is all the more impressive for his lack of plaudits.

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At the start of this season Willian was not even first choice for Chelsea, as Conte preferred a 3-5-2 system, pairing Eden Hazard and Alvaro Morata up front and adding an extra man in the midfield. Willian was the unfortunate victim, starting just two games out of six in October and two out of five in November as Conte looked for different solutions. But as Morata faded, Conte knew that he needed more power in the front line, and more help for an increasingly isolated Hazard. So he went back to the 3-4-3 and put Willian back in the team.

The result has been a run of form to make Willian’s time out of the side look like one long mistake. Just as in what Conte has scathingly dubbed ‘the Mourinho season’, Willian was Chelsea’s best performer, so too has he made the most of difficult circumstances recently. Combining relentless running up and down his wing with ruthless technical execution in the final third, Willian has shown again why he was so important to the very athletic, organised, incisive Chelsea team that won last year’s title.

Take Sunday, for example, when he set up Morata’s opener by running half of the length of the pitch, away from Marc Albrighton, away from Wilfred Ndidi, before playing the perfect pass to Morata. There are not many other players around who can accelerate like that in possession while staying in control of the ball. Or remember the game at Old Trafford last month where Willian put Chelsea ahead, again bursting through on the break and then doing what few others can, beating David De Gea at his near post. Or when he gave Chelsea another crucial lead – which they could not hold onto – against Barcelona. Or his deadliness from the edge of the box, as felt by Hull City, Crystal Palace or Brighton.

This is probably the best Willian Chelsea have ever seen. He has started their last seven games in all competitions, his best run since the middle of ‘the Mourinho season.’ Willian now has 13 goals this year, his best ever return, with another eight league games and potentially another two in the FA Cup. So as Chelsea head into another summer of renewal and recruitment, and more questions about their recent signings, Willian looks more valuable than ever, and the £30m they paid for him five years ago looks smarter and smarter. Even if he sometimes still has to start the season fighting for his place.