Chelsea title rivals just waiting to catch us napping warns David Luiz after fourth straight clean-sheet win

DAVID LUIZ

 David Luiz has warned his Chelsea team-mates to “stay awake” if they want to see through their title challenge.

Brazilian defender Luiz has helped his side to four wins, each of them with a clean sheet, from their last four games.

The run has left Antonio Conte’s men sitting fourth, just a point off the top three, with Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool tied on 23 points.

But Luiz said: "The Premier League is never easy and if you sleep here one minute you start to lose, and then you can lose one, two or three matches. You need to be awake all the time."

Chelsea’s winning league sequence followed defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal, and has come after Conte altered his system to move to three at the back.

Goals from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa sealed the points in their 2-0 win over Southampton on Sunday.

But Luiz insisted neither he nor his team-mates will be allowing themselves to get carried away with the club’s resurgence.

He added: “It will be like this until the end. It’s just the beginning. We need to keep our feet on the floor and keep working hard with humility, just this.

“We know the Premier League is not easy. When you start the game nobody knows who will win, but we are trying our best every single match to improve our level.

 “We train hard every day. Mr Conte works a lot with us and tries to give a lot of information to us to prepare the plan for the games in the best way. It’s important to continue this way.”

Meanwhile Hazard has admitted he is delighted with his impressive start to the season after a dismal campaign last season.

The Belgian has now hit five goals so far - one more than he managed in 31 top-flight games last time around.

His goal against Southampton also means he has scored in three consecutive Premier League games for the first time in his career.

Hazard said: “I am having a very good start to the season. I am happy with what I am doing at this moment.

“I am enjoying my football. I am very happy with the performance of the whole team. I don’t care about me, I just want the team to win the game.

 “But I’m good, I’m confident and I want to stay like this. I try to be decisive for the team.

"Against Southampton I scored and had one assist. This is what the coach wants and what my team-mates want.”

CHELSEA CAN WIN THE LEAGUE THIS SEASON. THIS IS WHY

CHELSEA

After defeating Southampton 2-0 on Sunday courtesy goals from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, Chelsea became the only team to beat Southampton at the St. Mary’s this season.

Former Manchester United player Gary Neville insists Chelsea can win the title this season after keeping a fourth clean sheet in a row.

“The very, very top teams make the fewest mistakes and that was a team performance today (Sunday) of no mistakes,” Gary Neville said on Sky Sports Gary Neville Podcast.

“That clean sheet mentality has definitely been forced into them. It’s a way of being, it builds so much confidence. When the goalkeeper and defenders are happy, when they are comfortable and relaxed, the crowd isn’t getting anxious.

“I’m seeing Chelsea players do the right things, staying with their runners and they’ve got two very, very good central midfield players from a defensive point of view, they’ve got a wonderful ability to read the game and fill in the gaps.

“Are they the finished article? Probably not but I wouldn’t rule them out of the title because I don’t trust the others enough to think that Chelsea can’t win it.”

Thierry Henry ons Eden Hazard: Arsenal legend says Chelsea winger is becoming a more complete player after helping Blues revival

HAZARD

THIERRY HENRY claims Eden Hazard is developing into a more complete forward in a warning to Chelsea’s Premier League warning.

The Belgian, 25, struggled to replicate the form that saw him crowned PFA Player of the Year last season as the Blues flopped in their title defence.

But after cutting in from the right to drill home left-footed in the 2-0 win over Southampton, Henry claimed Hazard was thriving under Antonio Conte.

Speaking on Monday Night Football, he said: “He can have a massive impact on the right-hand side which he never used to do.

“Last season he would have crossed that ball back.

“But now he thinks ‘goal’ and comes back on his left foot and, boom, goal.

“He runs in behind now.”

After a slow start under former Italy chief Conte, Chelsea have won four on the bounce to move within a point of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool at the top of the table.

Hazard was on target three times in that run to take his tally to six this season.

David Luiz: Chelsea must stay 'awake' to have chance of winning Premier League title

LUIZ

David Luiz believes Chelsea will have a chance of winning the Premier League title if they can stay "awake" for the entirety of the season, but insists it is still too early to be talking about a top-flight trophy challenge.

Antonio Conte's men sit just one point behind league leaders Manchester City, who are tied with Arsenal and Liverpool on 23 points, after goals from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa secured a 2-0 win for Chelsea over Southampton on Sunday.

The victory at St Mary's was the club's fourth successive league win - and Chelsea's fourth game without conceding a goal - which has helped the Blues stay close to the early title contenders.

Luiz believes there is a long way to go before the Premier League title will be decided, however, and revealed the players are not getting carried away despite their impressive form of late.

When asked about Chelsea's enviable position of fourth in the league standings, Luiz told Chelsea TV: "It will be like this until the end. It’s just the beginning. We need to keep our feet on the floor and keep working hard with humility, just this.

"We know the Premier League is not easy. When you start the game nobody knows who will win, but we are trying our best every single match to improve our level.

"We train hard every day. Mr Conte works a lot with us and tries to give a lot of information to us to prepare the plan for the games in the best way. It’s important to continue this way.

"The Premier League is never easy and if you sleep here one minute you start to lose, and then you can lose one, two or three matches. You need to be awake all the time."

Chelsea star Gary Cahill fires warning message to his critics after poor performances: 'Don't write me off!'

CAHILL

Gary Cahill has warned critics not to write him off just yet.

The 30-year-old defender experienced a torrid start to the season following a series of high-profile mistakes that culminated in gifting Arsenal the opening goal in a crushing 3-0 defeat back in September.

Since then, however, Chelsea have gone 410 minutes in the Premier League without being breached and Cahill has conceded only two goals in seven appearances for his club and England. 

Both of those came in the recent EFL Cup defeat to West Ham meaning the other six have been clean sheets.

‘Don't write me off,’ Cahill warned after Chelsea’s 0-2 victory away to Southampton moved them within a point of Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool at the top of the table. 

 ‘It's easy to criticise someone after certain games and it's fair enough. Sometimes you haven't had a good game. But people are very quick to write people off. 

'If you are at the top level you have to be mentally strong. For me it was a matter of time before I turned the corner and got back to the performance levels that I should be at. 

'The last four games I'm back to where I should be, I'm playing well, I feel good. We talk about character of the team, but sometimes you have to show character yourself and that's what I feel like I have done.

CHELSEA'S SOLID DEFENCE

After being embarrassed by Arsenal at the Emirates back in September, Antonio Conte overhauled his defence and solidity ensued...

October 1 - Chelsea 2-0 Hull

October 15 - Chelsea 3-0 Leicester

October 23 - Chelsea 4-0 Man United

October 30 - Chelsea 2-0 S'hampton 

‘Criticism is one thing, but to write someone off is very dangerous when you have a mindset as strong as mine, especially when I think I can work hard to turn the corner and come out again.’ 

Chelsea’s defensive form - and Cahill's - has coincided with manager Antonio Conte switching to his preferred but unorthodox 3-4-3 formation in which Cahill is flourishing. 

The player, who is playing on the left of the three defenders, admits he has had to get used to running more to cover out wide compared to when he plays in a conventional back four with another centre-back. 

Cahill has also spent plenty of time assessing his early-season errors, which, he feels, has benefitted his resurgence.

‘I will never go away from a game having played badly and dust it off as if it doesn't matter,’ he said. ‘That's just not me. Everyone deals with things differently, but I certainly reflect. 

'I sometimes beat myself up personally, but in terms of my frame of mind, when things don't go well, I want to be there.

‘But the manager comes into this as well. There was a time, maybe after Arsenal away, where I could have been pulled out of the side, but he showed belief in me. 

'That is the most important crucial time because when you have a bad spell or a bad game, the first thing you want to do is play again. 

I'm not the kind of person to shy away and think 'things aren't going well so I'll take a back seat. I have turned the corner, produced performances in the last few weeks and I'm pleased.’

Five reasons why Chelsea are Premier League title contenders

COSTA

Chelsea moved to within a point of the Premier League summit with their impressive 2-0 win over Southampton on Super Sunday.

Eden Hazard and Diego Costa were on target as Antonio Conte's side clinched a fourth consecutive Premier League victory at St Mary's Stadium.

The Blues are emerging as serious title contenders. Here, we look at some of the reasons why they could go the distance... Swansea to win 2-1

COSTA AND HAZARD

The system works

A change of formation has been the catalyst for Chelsea's recent improvement. Since switching from 4-2-3-1 to 3-4-3 after their 3-0 defeat by Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, the Blues have won all four of their Premier League games without conceding a goal.

It's the system Conte has used throughout his coaching career, and it's taken no time for Chelsea's players to adapt. Defensively, the back three of Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta are afforded plenty of protection by Nemanja Matic and N'Golo Kante, and there's added support from wing-backs Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses.

"We've worked hard on the shape the manager's brought and we're getting the rewards," said Cahill after Sunday's victory. Opponents are struggling to create openings against Chelsea's packed defensive ranks. Southampton only mustered one shot on target at St Mary's, and the run of four consecutive clean sheets highlights Chelsea's new-found solidity.

"Conte's got them well-drilled," said Sky Sports pundit Graeme Souness. "They sit in and defend their box. They have a lot of players who are good at defending in the air and on the ground."

The new system has also unlocked Chelsea's attacking potential. The Blues are lethal on the break and clinical in front of goal. They beat Manchester United 4-0 despite having just 43.9 per cent of possession, and they recorded a similar figure against Southampton. Souness described their first-half display at St Mary's as a "masterclass in counter-attacking football". Southampton won't be the last team who struggle to contain them.

HAZARD AND ROMEU

Hazard back to his best

Hazard has been the biggest beneficiary of the change of formation. The Belgian grew disillusioned on the left flank last season, but he has been given licence to roam in the new system and doesn't have to worry about defensive responsibilities. According to Opta, his average position has been even more advanced than Costa's in three of Chelsea's last four games.

Hazard is focusing on what he does best. His opener was brilliantly taken, and he has now scored more goals in 10 games (five) than he managed in 31 appearances last season. He was named man of the match for the second consecutive match after his starring role in last week's thrashing of Manchester United, and this was arguably an even better performance.

He combined brilliantly with Costa throughout, and his assist for the Spaniard's goal was one of five chances he created across the 90 minutes. Hazard was a constant threat. Southampton's defenders were reduced to fouling him more often than any other player, and Gary Neville was impressed by some of the positions he took up in central areas.

"It's impossible for a right-back to go there, it's impossible for a centre-back to come out, and it's a nightmare for a midfield player to think about him," Neville said. "He's just free and released. He's not stuck out on the left-hand side. He's there and he's always got five yards of space."

Hazard lost his way last season, but the 2014/15 Player of the Year is back to his old self under Conte, and Chelsea are feeling the benefits. When he plays like this, few players in the Premier League can match him.

COSTA

Clinical Costa

Costa is another player who struggled to replicate his 2014/15 form last season, but, like Hazard, he is back with a vengeance under Conte. The 28-year-old's brilliant second-half strike was his eighth Premier League goal of the season, putting him top of the scoring charts ahead of Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku.

"He's a brilliant player to have in your team when he's playing like today," said Neville in the Sky Sports commentary box. "He's a handful up front, and he defended three or four balls out of his own six yard box as well."

It's quite the transformation from last season. Costa is leading the line with tireless intensity again, and he's playing with confidence too. He has hit the target with 71 per cent of his shots compared to 53 per cent last season, and his conversion rate is up from 23 per cent to 33 per cent. He left the pitch to loud cries of "Diego, Diego, Diego" from the away end at St Mary's. Costa is back and he's lifting Chelsea.

KANTE AND MATIC

The Kante-Matic partnership

Every title-winning side needs a strong central midfield pairing and N'Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic are certainly providing it for Chelsea. Kante was a force of nature in front of Leicester's back four last season, and he's now producing a similar level of performance for his new team.

He made more than twice as many interceptions (seven) as any other player on the pitch against Southampton, and he impressed with the ball, too, finding a team-mate with 92.2 per cent of his passes - a higher accuracy rate than any of his team-mates. It was a performance in keeping with his recent form.

Kante has injected energy and dynamism into Chelsea's central midfield, and Matic has impressed alongside him. The Serb struggled last season, but he is playing with authority again now, taking it in turns with Kante to run from box-to-box. There was one particularly impressive moment in the first half when he robbed Steven Davis high up the pitch before sending Costa through on goal.

Chelsea's powerful pairing have dominated the midfield in each of Chelsea's last four games. It's bad news for Cesc Fabregas, but Conte will be hoping it continues.

CHAMPIONS LEAGUE

No European commitments

There were few positives to take from Chelsea's 10th-placed finish last year, but not having to juggle European commitments this season could help their cause. The Blues' new playing style demands high-intensity (they have outrun their opponents in each of their last three games) so the lighter load is especially beneficial.

It also gives Conte more time on the training ground with his players. "If you ask me if I prefer this situation, I don't, because Chelsea must be in this competition," he said back in August. "But because we are not, I will have a whole week to train with my players. That gives me a chance to work with them more compared to other managers in previous seasons."

The previous weekend of Premier League football was a good example of what can happen. Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham all failed to win after their midweek exertions in the Champions League, while Chelsea and Liverpool beat Manchester United and West Brom respectively after an uninterrupted schedule.

Antonio Conte has the snarl of Jose Mourinho but also can smile, says Jamie Redknapp

CONTE

Antonio Conte has the perfect mix of "snarl and smile" and has found a better balance at Chelsea than Jose Mourinho, according to Jamie Redknapp. 

Chelsea made it four Premier League wins in a row and moved to within one point of top spot with a 2-0 win over Southampton at St Mary's on Super Sunday.

The victory moves Conte's men into fourth place on 22 points, just one point off Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, who are all level on 23.

The Italian was a bundle of energy on the touchline throughout the game, ordering his team around the pitch and Redknapp believes his personality is getting the best out of his players, who performed so miserably under Mourinho at the start of last season. 

"Last season there was too much snarl with Jose Mourinho - all of the time," Redknapp said.  "But with Antonio Conte you get the snarl and the smile. It's a nice balance. You wouldn't want to cross him as he's an angry man when he wants to be, but when you're playing well he's your best mate."

Eden Hazard netted for the third league game in succession on six minutes, which put Chelsea in full control, before Diego Costa curled home a sumptuous second to end Southampton's eight-month unbeaten run at home.

Since being dispatched 3-0 by Arsenal and switching to a back three of Gary Cahill, David Luiz and Cesar Azpilicueta, Chelsea have taken maximum points and kept four consecutive clean sheets.

"When you change a system and get results like they are now, especially when they're not conceding goals, the players will buy into everything the manager is doing," Redknapp said.

"The challenge will come when they go a goal behind and when they have to chase a game. At the moment when they go 1-0 up they are so difficult to beat. It's like playing against a brick wall - it's so difficult to break down."

Hard work paying off for Chelsea, says Antonio Conte

CONTE

Antonio Conte hailed Chelsea's work ethic after they recorded a fourth straight clean sheet in their 2-0 victory at Southampton.

Goals from Eden Hazard and Diego Costa ensured Chelsea left St Mary's with all three points on Super Sunday.

Chelsea are yet to concede since switching to three centre-backs, having been dispatched 3-0 by Arsenal the last time they lined-up in a 4-4-2 formation.

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Conte's side now sit in fourth place in the Premier League - just one point behind leaders Manchester City, who are ahead of Liverpool and Arsenal on goal difference.

"I'm very happy because I saw great commitment and work-rate during the game from all the players, with and without the ball," Conte told Sky Sports "This is the right way to play, because when we work together against a very strong team, I think that I as the coach must be very happy after this performance."

"It's fantastic that for a fourth game we did not concede a goal, and also we scored two goals and created many chances. We are working very hard."

Following Chelsea's 4-0 win over Manchester United last week, Conte refused to admit his side were title contenders, and the Italian remained equally coy after their latest win.

"I have the same opinion," Conte added. "Now it's early to answer and speak about title contenders, I repeat that we must work very hard to continue because this is the right way, but we can and must improve.

"After the first part of the season I can tell more about this run."

"We played against United and scored early as well, but when you play away it's different because the home support push the team, but our supporters were saying great things.

"They were fantastic from the first minute until the end. I want to say thank you to our support, from me and my players, because we won this game together - the players on the pitch, and the supporters as well."

Gary Neville analyses Chelsea's improving form under Antonio Conte

CHELSEA 

Gary Neville believes Chelsea's clean-sheet mentality is breeding confidence, and that their lack of European football will be beneficial in the title race.

Antonio Conte's side beat Southampton 2-0 at St Mary's on Super Sunday, their fourth Premier League win and clean sheet on the trot.

It puts them one point off the top of the Premier League, and Neville believes that defensive confidence is becoming evident, adding Sunday's performance was near-faultless.

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He said on the Gary Neville Podcast: "The very, very top teams make the fewest mistakes, and that was a team performance today (Sunday) of no mistakes.

"That clean sheet mentality has definitely been forced into them. It's a way of being, it builds so much confidence. When the goalkeeper and defenders are happy, when they are comfortable and relaxed, the crowd aren't getting anxious.

"I'm seeing Chelsea players do the right things, staying with their runners, and they've got two very, very good central midfield players from a defensive point of view, they've got a wonderful ability to read the game and fill in the gaps.

"Are they the finished article? Probably not, but I wouldn't rule them out of the title, because I don't trust the others enough to think that Chelsea can't win it."

Chelsea finished 10th last season with Jose Mourinho and then Guus Hiddink at the helm, meaning a year out of European competition for Conte's first season in charge at Stamford Bridge.

Despite insisting European competition is a good distraction, Neville sees the benefit in the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool retaining their energy levels for the Premier League.

"I think the fact that Chelsea have free weeks, and don't have the confusion and disruption of European football, even though it is a good disruption being in the Champions League or Europa League, it gives them a big advantage.

"Certain players in their team - like John Terry, Branislav Ivanovic, Diego Costa, even Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic - I think they all benefit hugely from it.

"They would have been in that dressing room after the game, having put in a wonderful performance, and be thinking: 'I've got a week now, I can get my body right, have a massage and not think about training on Tuesday ahead of another midweek game.'

"It's a big thing for players of that nature, so I think that gives them a competitive edge, and Liverpool the same, who have players who give huge energetic performances. Their recovery between games is important.

"It will be an advantage. I think Tottenham are as good as Liverpool, I think Tottenham are as good as Chelsea, there's no doubt, but because Spurs are in European competition I would put Chelsea and Liverpool ahead of them in the Premier League for that reason.

"I think Manchester City and Arsenal are the better teams, but can you trust either of them fully yet? I don't think you can. That's not to say they won't go and deliver, but because they're in Europe, and that they've shown glimpses of the old Arsenal and old City, they've got to give me more yet before I trust them.

"That's without even mentioning United, who have fallen behind a little bit."

Hazard was in fine form again on the south coast on Sunday, netting his fifth league goal of the season, one more than he achieved in the entire 2015/16 campaign.

Neville says Hazard is an "unbelievable" player and despite suffering from poor form last season, looks back to his best.

"I'm quite tough on Eden Hazard, not because I dislike him, but actually because I think he's an unbelievable player. A player like him should be reaching the level of [Gareth] Bale, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, [Lionel] Messi.

"That is the level I would put him at. He cannot afford to have seasons like he did last year when you're at that level, you have to build up a trust of being a world class player.

"World class isn't just one season and then miss a season, it has to be every single season. The standard is higher now, the players like Bale, Ronaldo, Messi, they don't drop, they've not dropped for seven or eight years, they've kept performing.

"What we've seen so far this season is a player who is devastating, and it looks like he's back to his best."

Diego Costa is a handful and opens up spaces for his team-mates... I'd have loved to have played with him, says former Chelsea midfielder Ruud Gullit

RUUD GULLIT

Ruud Gullit says he would love to have played with Diego Costa during his time at Chelsea, with the former Stamford Bridge favourite describing the striker as a 'handful'.

Chelsea moved up to fourth in the Premier League on Sunday courtesy of a comfortable 2-0 win at Southampton, meaning they remain just a point behind co-leaders Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool. 

Costa scored his 40th Premier League goal to hand Chelsea clear daylight against the Saints, after Eden Hazard's early opener, with the Spain international reaching the milestone in 64 games - the sixth fastest since the league's inception in 1992.

Gullit - who made 49 league appearances as a player for the Blues and also enjoyed a 49 per cent win record as manager - admitted that playing with Costa would have been a dream scenario.

'His work rate opens spaces for you,' Gullit said in his role as a pundit on Match of the Day 2. 'When you're a striker, you know that if he goes right, you go left because all the attention goes to him.

'He's a handful and I'd like to play with a player like this.'

Costa had just nine touches inside the first 30 minutes at St Mary's, three in the opposition half and only one coming inside Southampton's penalty area.

But his influence on the early proceedings on the south coast gave his side the platform for their fourth league win on the bounce, and Chelsea have now gone 410 minutes without conceding a league goal.

Kevin Kilbane joined Gullit in the BBC studio on Sunday night, and the former Republic of Ireland and Everton winger was impressed with Costa's work rate off the ball. 

'But he had such an influence on the game, off the back of not even touching the ball at times. His work rate, you understand from the clips you see from Costa. His runs took (Virgil) Van Dijk away to free up the space for Pedro. 

'You can see why the flair players in Chelsea’s side like him so much. He creates opportunities for himself by just seeing the space.

'Everything he does is with real purpose. When the ball was given away, he wanted to be that first guy to go and win it back.

'Chelsea have this momentum about them at the moment They out-worked Southampton today, and at times they sat deep which was unusual for them.' 

Victor Moses been transformed by Antonio Conte... his Chelsea career has taken off after years of loan misery

MOSES

The transition of Victor Moses from marauding forward to defensive-minded wing-back has been something of a miracle move by Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.

The player has been wandering in the wilderness for the four years of his Stamford Bridge contract. 

Not even 10 goals in his debut season following a £9million move from Wigan — signed by short-term manager Roberto Di Matteo — was deemed good enough and loan spells at Liverpool, Stoke and West Ham have come in the previous three seasons.

At 25-years-old, many players would have decided it was probably time to move on, but Conte arrived and Moses got his head down once again and the transformation has been spectacular. Even the Italian has been taken aback.

'I think Moses is a great surprise in this aspect because we know him as a winger, but I think he's playing in a fantastic way,' Conte said after he shined once again in their victory against Southampton, overshadowed only by the resurgence of Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, who both scored. 

'I think that this role is very important in this system,' Conte added. 'You must have good stamina and quality to play as a wing-back. I ask my wing-backs to do offensive and defensive duties.'

Moses's resilience, however, should shock no-one. He coped with trauma at 12-years-old that no child should have to endure. 

His parents — father Austin, a Christian pastor, and mother Josephine, who worked with him — were murdered in their home back in Nigeria when religious tensions between Muslims and Christians erupted into violence in 2002. Moses, who was also at risk, escaped to England and was taken in by a foster family in south London.

VICTOR MOSES CV 

2007-10: Crystal Palace

69 apps, 11 goals

2010-12: Wigan Athletic

80 apps, 9 goals 

2012-Present: Chelsea

54 apps, 13 goals

2013-14 (loan at Liverpool)

22 apps, 2 goals

2014-15: (loan at Stoke)

23 apps, 4 goals

2015-16: (loan at West Ham)

26 apps, 2 goals 

It was why he was spotted by Crystal Palace playing football in Norbury Park. They got him a place at the prestigious Whitgift school where he proved a prolific striker. There was no tracking back to pick up the opposition winger then. 

He captained their Under 14s to the FA Youth Cup in 2005 and hit all five in the final past a Grimsby side all in red. The Grimsby Evening Telegraph wrote a story on the match with the headline: 'Holy Moses – wonder player parts red sea.'

Moses made his Championship debut for Palace at 16, but they sold him to Wigan two-and-a-half years later after falling into administration. Chelsea bought him a few years after that when they wanted the best young attacking midfielders. Hazard, the same age, and Oscar, a year younger, signed with him that summer.

Moses has always scored wherever he has been but not as prolifically as in his youth. Yet Conte has spotted attributes in him that he desires for those crucial wing-back positions in his unorthodox 3-4-3 formation. 

Moses is rapid, has seemingly endless reserves of stamina and is actually not bad at defending despite his relative inexperience. His ability to turn defending into a blistering attack by dribbling with the ball was evident several times against Southampton.

'I have not played there before,' Moses said on Sunday night. 'I have just got to listen to what the manager asks me to do in that position, and the way he wants me to do it. 

'Every game we play I just want to keep on improving. The more games you play, the more experience you get in that position. I'm really relishing it at the moment and enjoying it.

'We want to make sure we don't get caught sleeping in a game. Every day in training the manager is on top of us to make sure we are solid at the back. It's looking good for us at the moment, but we have to keep our feet firmly on the floor.'

One feels Moses has no difficulty in remaining humble, wherever he is playing or whatever the circumstances.

Diego Costa and Eden Hazard give Chelsea the edge in the Premier League title race, says Gary Cahill

COSTA AND HAZARD

Gary Cahill believes Diego Costa and Eden Hazard will give Chelsea the edge in the title race.

Both players scored as Chelsea won 2-0 at Southampton yesterday to secure their fourth League victory in a row.

The duo have been instrumental in lifting Antonio Conte’s side to within a point of top spot. Costa is the League’s top scorer with eight goals in 10 matches, while Hazard has struck five times — he managed four in the whole of the last campaign.

Asked by Standard Sport if the pair are key to Chelsea’s chances of finishing top, defender Cahill said: “Yes. They are playing fantastic. It is important to have big players who can change a game.

You could see against Southampton we were trying hard to keep a clean sheet. We worked hard on keeping the shape and were 1-0 up.

 “It is very tight when you’re just a goal up but then all of a sudden Diego turns and whips it into the top corner. That is sometimes the difference in players at this level, players we are blessed to have at this club. It is not just those two, though, we have many at this club. But it’s important we have game-changers like Eden and Diego.”

Hazard put Chelsea in front in the sixth minute but the game was made safe only when Costa struck a superb shot past Saints goalkeeper Fraser Forster 10 minutes after the break. The goal lifted Costa above Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero in the League scoring charts and Hazard says the Spanish striker’s performances are vital to Chelsea’s title hopes. 

He added: “Diego is on fire and we want to keep him on fire for the season. To reach the target we want, we need one guy to score 25-30 goals.

“I am enjoying my football. I am very happy with the performance of the whole team. I don’t care about me, I just want the team to win. 

“I’m confident and I want to stay like this. I try to be decisive for the team. Against Southampton I scored and had one assist. This is what the coach wants and what my team-mates want.”

Chelsea have not conceded a League goal since changing to a 3-4-3 formation a month ago. While Conte says his side’s title hopes should not be judged until the new year, he has warned their rivals that the best is still to come from the Blues.

“Sometimes you can win a game but you don’t see it happening in the right way,” he said. “Now, game by game, I’m seeing a lot of possibilities. I have confidence because we can improve a lot.

“We are in a good position but it’s not important. It’s more important to work very hard and trust the work will improve us.”