Hazard warning! Chelsea star Eden tells Tottenham that Blues are coming for them in Premier League’s top-four race
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Chelsea are five points behind Tottenham with four games left to play Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images
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It is a measure of
Chelsea’s renewed self-belief that
Tottenham were on the players’ minds immediately after reaching the
FA Cup Final.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side will not be facing them at Wembley next month - their 2-1 defeat by Manchester United in the other semi-final on Saturday ensured that.
It is Spurs’ League position Chelsea are looking at and they suddenly feel momentum is on their side to snatch fourth place away from them.
A fortnight ago that appeared improbable as they were 10 points behind.
In Pictures | Chelsea vs Southampton | 22/04/2018
Third-placed Liverpool, who Chelsea face next month, also seemed out of sight and it looked like the Blues would be heading for the
Europa League next term rather than the Champions League.
But confidence has returned after three successive wins, the last being yesterday’s 2-0 triumph over Southampton at Wembley.
Wenger and Conte could bow out with trophies but Poch’s cabinet's bare
Significantly, celebrations were brief and talk of battling Manchester United for the last domestic prize on offer were given short shrift.
Take man-of-the-match
Eden Hazard, for example. He has noticed a change and said: “We are still hoping that we can finish in the top four. It’s going to be difficult but sometimes a difficult challenge can be good.
“We are going to give everything and we are hoping that the others will drop points. We have reached the final but now we are going to focus on the Premier League first.”
Alvaro Morata, scorer of the second goal, was singing from a similar song sheet, adding: “For sure the final is an important one for us but we need to put our heads into the League.”
The odds remain against them. Spurs and Liverpool are five and eight points ahead of them respectively, although
Jurgen Klopp’s side have played one game more.
Clearly Chelsea have to win their remaining four fixtures and rely on the two clubs ahead of them to slip up.
But if they win at Swansea on Saturday they will be just two points behind Spurs before Pochettino’s squad play their next League game at home to Watford a week today.
That will add to the pressure on Spurs, who have gone three games without a win and will end the season trophyless despite all the promise they have shown this term.
Meanwhile, Liverpool are understandably distracted by the Champions League semi-final with Roma.
Klopp’s level of anger at dropping two points after leading 2-0 at West Brom on Saturday took many by surprise given how things have gone so positively for them in 2018.
But perhaps Klopp was the one of the few to realise that any mistakes at home to Stoke on Saturday, when he would ideally rest some first-choice players with the second leg against Roma in mind, could leave Chelsea an opening.
Antonio Conte’s men would then have an opportunity to bring Liverpool within reach by beating them at Stamford Bridge on May 6 and then winning their game in hand at home to Huddersfield three days later.
Should Chelsea succeed in reaching the top four, they would have to thank January buy
Olivier Giroud.
His brace after coming off the bench at Southampton in the League nine days ago turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 victory.
Photo: AFP/Getty Images
The France international’s goal just after half-time against the same opponents yesterday put them on course to reach the FA Cup Final.
Like Hazard and Morata, he is refusing to give up on playing in the Champions League next term.
“I am very proud, very glad,” he said. “But we have to put the final to one side now and focus on the League. We will give our best to finish very strongly and finish in the top four.”
The only negative for the 31-year-old is the ankle injury he sustained following a challenge from Oriol Romeu which forced him to be replaced by Morata late on.
“My ankle was blocked by Romeu’s body, that’s why it was very painful,” said Giroud. “I tried to get over the pain but I think I will need to put good strapping on it for the next few days.”
