Gary Cahill delighted by Chelsea’s response after Japan loss

Gary Cahill has admitted his delight at Chelsea’s impressive response to their Club World Cup final defeat following victories over Leeds and Aston Villa.

The Blues bounced back from their 1-0 defeat by Corinthians in Yokohama by thrashing Leeds 5-1 in the Capital One Cup quarter-finals, before hitting eight past sorry Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

The Premier League win moved Chelsea back up into third place in the table, 11 points behind leaders Manchester United.

And defender Cahill is hoping the Blues can now enjoy a successful run during a hectic Christmas schedule.

“There won’t be one of our fans watching who didn’t enjoy the performance [against Villa] and hopefully we can continue,” Cahill told Chelsea’s website.

“The manager said he is going to keep working hard and doing his best and as players that is what we try to do, and I am sure we will win people over with performances like that.

“We needed a reaction from losing the final in Japan which was a big blow for us, and it shows the character in the team that we came back with hardly any rest and got the good result at Leeds and then again on Sunday.

“We showed what we are capable of and it is just a matter of consistency now. We have a lot of young players but on a day like Sunday you can really see the quality in the squad.

“If we play like that we won’t go far wrong. Norwich away is always a tough game and we found that when we went there last year. No doubt it will be similar but we go into the match with great confidence.”