Defender’s response when asked if Chelsea are under pressure ahead of Man City clash

Gary Cahill has admitted that Chelsea are under increased pressure to beat Manchester City on Wednesday night following their 2-1 loss to Crystal Palace at the weekend.

Antonio Conte’s side started the weekend 10 points clear of their closest title rivals Tottenham Hotspur after a run of one loss in 22 games in the Premier League this season.

Chelsea eased into a fifth minute lead against Palace thanks to Cesc Fabregas’s opening goal before Wilfried Zaha and Christian Benteke netted twice in two minutes to give the Eagles an unlikely eleventh-minute lead.

The Premier League leaders couldn’t break down the Palace defence in the remaining 79 minutes despite Chelsea’s best efforts to rescue a point at Stamford Bridge.

Conte’s men don’t have long to dwell on the result as Manchester City make the trip to west London in the Premier League mid-week.

Chelsea defender Cahill sent a message to his Blues team-mates ahead of their top-of-the-table clash against Pep Guardiola’s side on Wednesday night.

Asked whether Chelsea are under pressure, Cahill is quoted as saying by Sky Sports: “Yes. There’s no point shying away from that.”

“If we’d got the result against Crystal Palace it would have eased the pressure but not getting the result adds to the pressure. Sometimes players respond better to that and let’s hope that’s the case.

“It’s a time to stay calm, re-focus and go again. Things have been going very well for us this season the majority of the time, but it wasn’t to be (on Saturday). It’s a big game on Wednesday for everyone.

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“We’re disappointed. We had a chance to chalk another game off and get three more points at home, where we’ve been so strong this season.

“On a different day maybe we would have won the game. We’ve put ourselves in a healthy position in the league and the gap is still there.”