Cahill praises Chelsea’s Costa & Co. and insists top flight leaders can cope with the pressure

Gary Cahill insists Chelsea can live with the pressure of leading the pack at the summit of the Premier League after a 3-1 victory over rivals Manchester City at the weekend.

The vital win at the Etihad Stadium was the Blues’ eighth on the bounce in the top flight and cemented their lofty position at the top of the pile.

The fiery encounter ended with City down to nine men after City’s Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho were sent off in injury time following the former’s horror tackle on David Luis.

Antonio Conte’s outfit went behind when Cahill put through his own goal but to the central defender’s relief when Diego Costa pulled one back and they were ahead 10 minutes later when Willian hit home with pace.

Eden Hazard sealed the deal for Chelsea with another goal on the break and Cahill has paid tribute to his team-mates’ self-belief.

He said:

“Every time we go out on to the pitch it is like we can’t lose but it’s a nice pressure to have.”

‘We’re going into a period which is going to be busy for everyone and during those games we need to keep going. We’re in a good moment so we need to keep that momentum, keep everyone fresh, keep everyone on the pitch and keep getting results.”

Diego Costa earned high praise from England star Cahill, who said the striker seems to be getting better and better.

Cahill added:

“I’ve seen more composure for him, the first half didn’t go ideally for us and we were starved of the ball a bit, likewise he was, so he was scrapping around and not quite getting the opportunities.”

‘In the last few years maybe he would have got frustrated with that but he kept his cool and in the second half he got more involved.”

“The players around him are playing really well, when we haven’t got the ball they’re having to defend and they’re doing that excellently at the moment.”