Yahoo News Nemanja Matic warns Tottenham: Chelsea will fight for title to 'very last minute'
Nemanja Matic has warned title rivals Tottenham that Chelsea 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 Sunday's game at Everton.
"We have to stay considered until the last minute of the season. Not the last game, the very last minute.
"I'm sure we're on our best and I think the next game will be crucial for us.
"I can say it's difficult to focus game by game, but we have to do that.
"If you want to win the title, you have to be ready for everything.
"You have to know the Premier League is like this. 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 really important for us to play in the final, because the FA Cup is very important for every football player in England," Matic told Chelsea's website.
"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 Sunday I think is a crucial game for us."
EPL Table | Premier League standings after Gameweek 34
Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GD | Pts |
1 | Chelsea | 33 | 25 | 3 | 5 | 40 | 78 |
2 | Tottenham | 33 | 22 | 8 | 3 | 47 | 74 |
3 | Liverpool | 34 | 19 | 9 | 6 | 28 | 66 |
4 | Man City | 33 | 19 | 8 | 6 | 28 | 65 |
5 | Man United | 33 | 17 | 13 | 3 | 26 | 64 |
6 | Arsenal | 32 | 18 | 6 | 8 | 24 | 60 |
7 | Everton | 34 | 16 | 10 | 8 | 23 | 58 |
8 | West Brom | 33 | 12 | 8 | 13 | -3 | 44 |
9 | Southampton | 32 | 11 | 7 | 13 | -5 | 40 |
10 | Watford | 32 | 11 | 7 | 14 | -15 | 40 |
11 | Stoke | 33 | 10 | 9 | 14 | -11 | 39 |
12 | Crystal Palace | 33 | 11 | 5 | 17 | -7 | 38 |
13 | Bournemouth | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | -15 | 38 |
14 | West Ham | 34 | 10 | 8 | 16 | -15 | 38 |
15 | Leicester | 33 | 10 | 7 | 16 | -13 | 37 |
16 | Burnley | 34 | 10 | 6 | 18 | -16 | 36 |
17 | Hull City | 34 | 9 | 6 | 19 | -31 | 33 |
18 | Swansea City | 34 | 9 | 4 | 21 | -29 | 31 |
19 | Middlesbrough | 34 | 5 | 12 | 17 | -19 | 27 |
20 | Sunderland | 33 | 5 | 6 | 22 | -33 | 21 |
