Diego Costa has told his Chelsea team-mates they can’t afford to feel sorry for themselves after their shock defeat to Crystal Palace.
Chelsea’s lead at the top of the table was cut to seven points after they lost at home for the first time since September, while Tottenham won at Burnley.
It has put them under intense scrutiny going into Wednesday’s match against Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, while Spurs face lowly Swansea.
Costa, who missed a number of chances to ensure Chelsea secured at least a point, insists it’s vital the Blues don’t panic.
He said: “Now is not the time to let ourselves down. We should keep our heads up and think ahead for the next game since it will be very important.
“A derby (against a big team) will always be an important game. After a loss at home and with a rival closing the gap this importance only grows.
“We know this game against Manchester City will be a six-point affair since if we win the game they will [practically] be out of the title race while we keep the advantage.
“It also depends on the match between Tottenham and Swansea. In any case, we will do our best.
“We hope that the next game the ball will go in, and that we do a better job at handling these counter-attacking plays so we do not suffer from early goals again, and thus avoid what happened (against Crystal Palace).”
Chelsea have led the Premier League since November and have been regarded as favourites to lift the trophy for several weeks.
But they now face a tough schedule this month, with difficult away games at Manchester United and Everton among those to come.
However, coach Antonio Conte insists that Spurs and Manchester City, who are 11 points behind following their 2-2 draw at Arsenal yesterday, will also be feeling the strain.
When asked by Standard Sport if he feels that Chelsea are the team with everything to lose having led the table for so long, he replied: “Pressure is normal when you stay in a big club, when you are very good and are lucky to fight for the title.
“There is pressure not just for us, but for a lot of teams. Don’t forget that the other teams were candidates to win the title.
“Instead we stayed up the table and we will try to keep this position. If we are able to keep this position, it means we deserve it.”
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