When the Dutchman joined us pitchside at a bitterly cold The Valley following our FA Cup victory over Charlton, we put that phrase to him and the man himself couldn’t hide his delight, with a broad smile etched across his face.

Signed from Ajax in the summer, he was – you’d imagine – signed to help add to our defensive ranks. He is, after all, known as being a left-back or left-sided centre-half in his homeland.

But he will go down in the record books as being the first Chelsea player to score under the tenure of Liam Rosenior, firing home our first in the 5-1 FA Cup victory. And, we should add, it was an absolute bullet of a finish that any striker would have been proud of. 
‘To be honest, I was a little bit surprised when it went in so that’s why I didn’t really celebrate too much!’ Hato explained, with a wry smile, of his first Chelsea goal when asked to talk us through it.

‘I think it was a good hit and I’m just so happy to score for this great club. The ball bounced and landed just in front of me, it was sat up nicely and thankfully it’s flown into the top corner.

‘I enjoyed the game, it was a real cup tie and the role I played allowed me to get forward a lot, into pockets of space in and around the box. I enjoy being able to help offensively as well as defensively. It’s a new role for me, because during my time at Ajax I only ever played as a defender.

‘[Enzo] Maresca wanted me to invert and join in attacks previously, and now the new manager has asked the same of me. It’s a new role but one I’m happy to do and I’m really enjoying the first few days under the gaffer.’
The new gaffer, as he puts it, is of course Rosenior. The 41-year-old Englishman who departed Strasbourg to replace Maresca at the beginning of this week.

One game down, one game won. Emphatically. 5-1 away from home, with Tosin Adabarioyo, Marc Guiu, Pedro Neto and Enzo Fernandez all adding to Hato’s opener.

It ensures we are in the hat for Monday’s fourth-round draw and Hato was pleased to get the job done, while also praising Rosenior for his gameplan and encouragement since arriving.

‘It was a really good win for us,’ Jorrel added. ‘I’m very happy to score my first goal for Chelsea and especially pleased for us to get the victory.
‘We know cup games can be difficult so we’re very pleased to have got through to the next round with this win.

‘We knew it would be a difficult game. We expected Charlton to be physical, to play a lot of long balls and for there to be a lot of duels all over the pitch. But we knew if we matched the energy, then our quality should come through, and I think that showed in the end.

‘The manager made it clear to us coming into this game that we would need to show a lot of fight. He demanded that intensity of us and it worked, winning 5-1 is very good.’
Rosenior officially took charge of the Blues on Thursday, meaning he only watched on from the stands during Wednesday's defeat to Fulham.

The Blues enjoyed 78 per cent possession and had 11 shots in the first half but had to wait until the fourth minute of injury-time to take the lead through Jorrel Hato.

Tosin Adarabioyo's header early in the second half gave us a buffer and while Miles Leaburn reduced the deficit soon after, the two-goal advantage was restored by Marc Guiu just five minutes later.
In truth, the Blues never looked like losing this game and the win was rounded off during injury-time by Pedro Neto's close-range finish and Enzo Fernandez's penalty.

Rosenior said: ‘I was very happy with the attitude of the team, even in the first-half. This is not an easy place to come, third round of the FA Cup.

‘I felt our press was very intense and really good. I felt we controlled the game, created a couple of chances from outside the box. The goal came at a really good time. It was a fantastic finish from Hato.

‘The game opens up second-half…we know we have outstanding players. I was able to bring on some outstanding players from the bench. But I have to say I was delighted with the starting XI too.’
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Liam Rosenior reflects on his first game in charge of Chelsea after our 5-1 win over Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup...

Rosenior made eight changes to his starting line-up for tonight’s game, with a League Cup semi-final against Arsenal lying in wait on Wednesday.

And Rosenior added: ‘I believe in this group. I believe in all of them. And if we want to have a really strong season, we need to use them (all). 
‘I need to put faith into them, and they repaid my faith today. And they've given me real cause for optimism for the future.’
Etched into the minds of those old enough to remember it, the 1997 FA Cup final stands as a defining moment in the club’s history. Ending the Blues' wait for a major silverware, victory over Middlesbrough is a cherished memory, one still spoken about fondly in all four corners of Stamford Bridge.

Yet, ahead of kick-off on that May day at Wembley, the sense of the occasion brought its own pressures. We had not lifted the FA Cup for a generation, and the squad were well aware of the expectations that lay on their broad shoulders.

But club captain Wise went into the game with one thing on his mind: win and end our silverware drought. And we were well on our way after just 43 seconds.

1997 fa cup final 120 annoversary
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1997 FA Cup Final | CFC 120

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‘It was a long time since we’d last won something, so we were very conscious of it, the whole situation,’ Wise reminisces about that day in 1997.

‘Middlesbrough had Juninho, (Fabrizio)Ravanelli, Nigel Pearson, good players at the back; they were quite a decent outfit. But everyone talks and remembers that first goal.

‘But everyone talks and remembers that first goal [struck by Robbie Di Matteo]. When you score so early, it does calm you down – and the pressure was on us because of the team that we had. Walking into the dressing room in 1997, I looked at the players sitting there and knew we were the favourites.

'We knew we had a fantastic opportunity to win a trophy.’
Wise and Zola celebrate our Wembley success
Wise and Zola celebrate our Wembley success

That lightning-fast opener, courtesy of Di Matteo’s thunderous 30-yard finish that clipped the crossbar on its way in, put the Blues in control of the contest. Our grip did not loosen in the time that remained and Eddie Newton’s late strike sealed a famous Wembley victory.

Almost 30 years on, Wise believes our FA Cup triumph that season laid the foundation for the sustained period of success, one the Blues continue to enjoy today.

‘That trophy in 1997 started what has become a habit – and a really good habit,' he says with a smile. 'The habit of winning trophies is important, and next year was very important as we won the Cup Winners' Cup.

Chelsea Legends Dennis Wise
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Chelsea Legends: Dennis Wise

Dennis Wise is the joint fifth highest appearance maker in Chelsea history and the second most successful captain. Hear from the man himself on a stellar career with the Blues...

‘People believed Chelsea had a good enough squad, and there was something built to continue winning trophies. The expectations went up, stayed up and continued into the new millennium. And it went to another level last year when Chelsea won the Club World Cup.’

The former Blues midfielder, who made 446 appearances for Chelsea and also lifted the FA Cup at Wembley in 2000, remains in contact with several members of the squad from that era – a true testament to their team spirit and togetherness that was crucial in delivering silverware.

He adds: ‘Just the other day I spoke to Gus [Poyet]. I speak to Robbie [Di Matteo], I speak to Franco [Zola], I speak to all of them. We are very close because we won trophies, and I think we had a good rapport. We had an enjoyable time, but worked really hard for the success we had.’