Chelsea will fight to the last minute
NEMANJA MATIC has warned title rivals Tottenham that his Chelsea side will fight to the “very last minute” of the season to seal the Premier League crown.
The Blues lead second-placed Spurs by four points with five games to play, and Matic is confident they can grind their way to glory in boss Antonio Conte’s first season at Stamford Bridge.
“Of course we have experience from winning the league two years ago,” the Serbia midfielder said ahead of today’s game at Everton.
“We have to stay considered until the last minute of the season. Not the last game, the very last minute.
“If you want to win the title, you have to be ready for everything.
“This is football, it’s the Premier League, so we are focused.
“We always work very hard, and we will do that until the end of the season.
“In every moment, we have to be ready for everything.”
Matic cracked a fine strike as Chelsea toppled Tottenham 4-2 last weekend to reach the FA Cup Final, and the 28-year-old has now backed the Blues to seize that momentum to drive towards the league title.
“It’s important for us to play in the final, because the FA Cup is very important for every football player in England,” Matic said.
“I’m very happy. It’s going to be an interesting game and one I’m looking forward to.
“We’re in a good way. We have four more points than Spurs so we’ll try to give our best to win the title.
“And of course the last game of the season will be the final.
“We’ll try our best. You never know what will happen, but we’re confident.
“You cannot win all your games. Sometimes you lose, but after that the reaction is important.
“We lost against Crystal Palace (2-1 on April 1) but after that we won against Manchester City and Bournemouth.
“The most important thing is the reaction. We lost against Manchester United (2-0 on April 16), but after that we beat Tottenham (in the cup) and Southampton.
“So I hope that we can continue this now, and today is a crucial game for us.”