LONDON -- Three quick thoughts from Chelsea's 4-2 Premier League win over Southampton on Tuesday at Stamford Bridge.
Some wins are bigger than others, simply because of the implications for the victors and the other teams affected by the result, and this 4-2 victory for Chelsea against Southampton was one of those that was heavy on significance for Antonio Conte's team.
Nine days after suffering their 2-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which gave Tottenham renewed hope of a late surge towards the title, Chelsea bounced back with a win that now heaps huge pressure on Spurs to match them with three points at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
But regardless of what Spurs achieve at Selhurst Park, Conte and his players will know that they passed a genuine test of nerve against Southampton.
And with a favourable run-in, Sunday's trip to Everton looks to be the only real obstacle in Chelsea's way in the final month of the campaign. After visiting Goodison Park, Chelsea wrap up their league campaign with three home games against Middlesbrough, Watford and Sunderland and an away trip to West Brom.
It is not exactly daunting, but it would have been had Chelsea failed to defeat Southampton. Such an outcome would have given Spurs real optimism, but this result snuffed out their flickering hopes and set Chelsea on the home straight to the title.
They may have conceded for the 11th successive league game when Oriol Romeu cancelled out Eden Hazard's opener before Ryan Bertrand scored a second in stoppage time, but Gary Cahill's header and Diego Costa's first goal in six league games, quickly followed by a second, secured a comfortable win for the leaders.
Chelsea now have a seven-point lead at the top with four games to play -- they are going to take some stopping now.
Some wins are bigger than others, simply because of the implications for the victors and the other teams affected by the result, and this 4-2 victory for Chelsea against Southampton was one of those that was heavy on significance for Antonio Conte's team.
Nine days after suffering their 2-0 defeat against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which gave Tottenham renewed hope of a late surge towards the title, Chelsea bounced back with a win that now heaps huge pressure on Spurs to match them with three points at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
But regardless of what Spurs achieve at Selhurst Park, Conte and his players will know that they passed a genuine test of nerve against Southampton.
And with a favourable run-in, Sunday's trip to Everton looks to be the only real obstacle in Chelsea's way in the final month of the campaign. After visiting Goodison Park, Chelsea wrap up their league campaign with three home games against Middlesbrough, Watford and Sunderland and an away trip to West Brom.
It is not exactly daunting, but it would have been had Chelsea failed to defeat Southampton. Such an outcome would have given Spurs real optimism, but this result snuffed out their flickering hopes and set Chelsea on the home straight to the title.
They may have conceded for the 11th successive league game when Oriol Romeu cancelled out Eden Hazard's opener before Ryan Bertrand scored a second in stoppage time, but Gary Cahill's header and Diego Costa's first goal in six league games, quickly followed by a second, secured a comfortable win for the leaders.
Chelsea now have a seven-point lead at the top with four games to play -- they are going to take some stopping now.
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