Chelsea No2 Ray Wilkins heaped praise on goal scorer Nicolas Anelka after their 2-0 FA Cup defeat of Preston.
Anelka made the breakthrough in the 36th minute against Coca-Cola Championship side Preston at Deepdale with his 11th goal of the season.
Daniel Sturridge then sealed a 2-0 victory with a goal two minutes after half-time.
Wilkins said: "From our perspective Nicolas is playing some outstanding football. He is a joy to have around the place.
"He enjoys his training, he is working extremely hard and he is getting the rewards from that."