Jose Mourinho has again urged Chelsea to forget about the possibility of winning the title until a top-four finish has been secured.
The Blues moved a point clear at the top of the Premier League table with 13 games to play thanks to their 3-0 win over Newcastle United on Saturday.
A Champions League spot is something so important for us and for everybody
Jose Mourinho
However, despite their position at the top of the league, Mourinho’s men are still only six points ahead of fourth-placed Liverpool.
And the Blues boss is taking nothing for granted ahead of his side’s trip to West Bromwich Albion on Tuesday night.
“Everybody has an influence in the race, every team is taking points from the big teams,” said Mourinho. “In this moment, the teams lower in the table feel they need to win matches and stay in the Premier League.
“So you see what West Ham did to us, what Fulham did to United, what Norwich did to City. This is the reality of this league – every match is very difficult.
“We have 13 matches to play and the difference between first and fourth is six points. I keep saying that I want to see the fifth-placed team far from us because a Champions League spot is something so important for us and for everybody.
“When the fifth is far, we will be only focused on the four and then you have conditions to fight for the title – that’s obvious.
“But the first thing we have to do is to be far from fifth place and to be solid. For example, last season Chelsea was in the last match of the season playing at home against Everton and fighting for a Champions League spot. This league is much more dangerous than the previous season.”
The 50-year-old Portuguese coach continued: “Tottenham beating Everton [on Sunday] is not the best result – a draw would have been better for us.
“If we win the league I will speak about my feelings in an open way as I normally do, but in this moment I’m not thinking about that.
“Every game is important. If we don’t win tomorrow, it’s not just about the title contenders to move ahead of us, it’s also about Tottenham or Everton winning and closing the gap. At this moment every point is important.”