'Blues won't crack under Spurs pressure'
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Cesc Fabregas insists Chelsea won't buckle under the strain of Tottenham's relentless pursuit as the Premier League title race ratchets up another notch this weekend.
With just eight games remaining Chelsea are
clinging to a precious seven-point lead over second-placed Tottenham,
but the Blues are showing a few glimpses of vulnerability.
Antonio Conte's side
ground out a barely deserved
2-1 win over Manchester City on Wednesday just days after crashing to a
shock 2-1 home defeat against struggling Crystal Palace.
Meanwhile Tottenham have reeled off five successive
victories, including an incredible escape act at Swansea on Wednesday
when they scored three times in the final minutes to clinch a 3-1
success.
With Chelsea playing on Saturday evening at
Bournemouth, Tottenham have the chance to turn up the pressure again by
temporarily trimming the lead to four points with a win against Watford
at White Hart Lane a few hours earlier.
Chelsea midfielder Fabregas admits his team have
been feeling the heat lately, but he is confident the way they recovered
from the Palace setback proved title nerves won't trigger a stunning
meltdown in the final weeks of the season.
"The result on Saturday put a lot of pressure on
us. We know we still have a good advantage, but this is the Premier
League and you don't want to be giving points away, especially at home,"
Fabregas said.
"We have character. We can bounce back at anything that comes in front of us."
The Premier League era is littered with epic
collapses from teams who thought the title was theirs and, with Chelsea
needing 18 points to be certain of top spot, Fabregas isn't getting
carried away yet.
"We've been saying it since the beginning of the season: it's one game at a time," he said.
"We have to worry about ourselves, not what the others are doing. As long as we keep winning then we don't have to worry."
'MASSIVE QUALITY'
Tottenham's title hopes looked over until Dele Alli
equalised in the 88th minute and Son Heung-Min and Christian Eriksen
struck in stoppage time to kill off Swansea.
The wild celebrations from boss Mauricio
Pochettino, his coaching staff and Tottenham's players and fans
underlined their relief at a result that allows them to continue
dreaming of a first English title since 1961.
Having choked last season when they failed to catch
champions Leicester in the closing weeks, Pochettino's side are back in
the hunt and Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen said: "Chelsea look very
strong but we can't stop pushing and dreaming of the league.
"They have a couple of difficult games coming up. We have to keep winning and hopefully they get a bit stressed.
"I don't know what is necessary to win the league,
maybe a bit of luck, but I think this group has massive quality and is
very special."
STEELY STREAK
The battle for Champions League qualification via the top four seems certain to go down to the wire.
Third-placed Liverpool, six points above
fifth-placed Arsenal, can't afford another slip when they face Stoke
after allowing Bournemouth a late equaliser in a midweek 2-2 draw.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp urged his team to emulate Chelsea's steely streak when points are on the line.
"Probably if it was Chelsea for example the
opponent would not have the ball three times in the last 20 minutes, I
think. We don't have this experience," Klopp said.
Fourth-placed Manchester City, who host Hull, are
without a win in four games and sit only four points above Arsenal, who
have a game in hand and travel to Crystal Palace on Monday.
Manchester United are sixth and head to
bottom-of-the-table Sunderland aiming to add to their former manager
David Moyes' problems.
Home draws against West Bromwich Albion and Everton
have damaged United's chances of making the top four and a win at the
Stadium of Light is essential.
Jose Mourinho's side can also push Sunderland -- a
hefty 10 points from safety closer to the Championship at the end of a
week in which Moyes was forced to apologise after threating to "slap" a
female reporter.
Fixtures (1400 GMT unless stated):
Saturday
Bournemouth v Chelsea (1630 GMT), Manchester City v
Hull, Middlesbrough v Burnley, Stoke v Liverpool, Tottenham v Watford
(1130 GMT), West Brom v Southampton, West Ham v Swansea
Sunday
Everton v Leicester (1500 GMT), Sunderland v Manchester United (1330 GMT)
Monday
Crystal Palace v Arsenal (1900 GMT)
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