Fabregas says semi-final win will not affect the title race

CHELSEA 4 TOTTENHAM H 2

Cesc Fabregas has downplayed the potential impact of Chelsea’s FA Cup semi-final win over Tottenham on the title race.

Chelsea beat Spurs 4-2 at Wembley on Saturday but Fabregas is wary of Mauricio Pochettino’s men, who sit four points behind with six games to play.

“[We have] six games where every single one of them we need three points, because I don’t believe Spurs will drop too many,” Fabregas said.

Chelsea’s full focus is now on the league. Head coach Antonio Conte has bemoaned the proximity of Tuesday’s clash with Southampton and the fact Spurs have 24 additional hours to prepare for their game at Crystal Palace on Wednesday.

Fixture congestion has been something of a rarity for Chelsea this season. And Fabregas admitted Chelsea’s absence from Europe after last season’s tenth-placed finish has been beneficial as the leaders face a crucial period of fixtures, with a trip to Everton following on 30 April. “It’s the first time Chelsea have not been in Europe for a long time,” Fabregas said. “Maybe it has been an advantage because we didn’t have to rotate as much.”

Conte did rotate at Wembley, leaving Eden Hazard, Diego Costa and Fabregas on the substitutes’ bench.

Hazard, in particular, was influential in the decisive moments of the game and scored Chelsea’s third.