Title Is Ours To Lose - Ancelotti

Carlo Ancelotti knows victory over Liverpool will almost certainly leave Chelsea with one hand on the Barclays Premier League trophy after watching his side thrash Stoke 7-0.

The Blues responded to Manchester United's 3-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday by mauling shell-shocked Stoke at Stamford Bridge to go one point clear of their rivals at the summit.

A hat-trick from Ivory Coast striker Salomon Kalou, a brace from Frank Lampard, including a penalty, and late goals from substitute Daniel Sturridge and Florent Malouda maintained Chelsea's dream of winning a league and FA Cup double this season.

Chelsea will have the advantage of playing first in a 1330 kick-off at Anfield next Sunday with United's trip to Sunderland scheduled for a 1600 kick-off.

A win for the Blues will pile more pressure on United even though Ancelotti expects Sir Alex Ferguson's side to win both of their remaining games.

"It will be very difficult at Liverpool," said Ancelotti. "But it is in our hands. Liverpool are a fantastic team, still going for fourth place.

"It's ours to lose. But that's a good thing. To have a title in our own hands is a good thing.

"So now I am quiet and calm. I am happy because we played very well. It was an important game. We needed to come back to the top of the league after Manchester United's win, and we played very well.

"But we don't need to send a message to the other teams. This is a good message for us. We needed a good reaction after the defeat at Tottenham, and we did that. This is a good message for us, no-one else.

"I think United will be able to win their games. They have Sunderland and Stoke, and every game is a different story, but our aim is to win two games. I know that, if we win two games, we are champions. I hope we play against Liverpool like we played on Sunday.

"They will want to fight against us to reach fourth. That's a very important position for the future of their club."

Carlo Ancelotti: Liverpool Game The Most Important Of The Season

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti admitted that Liverpool hold the key to their Premier League title aspirations this season.

The Blues regained the Premier League lead after they annihilated Stoke City 7-0 at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, setting up a showdown with Liverpool at Anfield that will likely be the title decider.

Chelsea will play Wigan Athletic in their 38th and final Premier League game of the season so a win over the Reds would be a big step towards their first title since the 2005-06 season.

With his side one point ahead of Manchester United with two games remaining, Ancelotti knows how important his team’s visit to Anfield will prove to be.

“Now, the most important game is Liverpool,” Ancelotti told the Daily Mail.

“We have a week to prepare and we’ll do our best. I hope we play like we played on Sunday. It will be difficult, Liverpool are a fantastic team, still going for fourth place.

“We are going for first and it is ours to lose.

“To have the title in our hands is a good thing. I think United are able to win their two games against Sunderland and Stoke. Our aim is to win two games.

“If we do that, we are champions.”

Chelsea Fully Focused On 'Three Finals' Before End Of The Season - Petr Cech

Petr Cech believes his fellow Chelsea players are fully prepared for their remaining "three finals" of the season.

After Sunday's 7-0 hammering of Stoke City at Stamford Bridge, the Blues remain one point clear of rivals Manchester United in the title race.

With two games left before an FA Cup final clash with Portsmouth, Cech is confident Carlo Ancelotti's side is capable of winning all three games and scooping the club's first ever league and cup double.

"Everything depends on us now," Cech told his own website.

"In the dressing rooms we said that we would be taking one game at a time. Basically, we are to play three finals now - two in the league and the FA Cup final.

"If we want to win in both competitions we have to win all the matches and then wouldn't have to look on other results."

After losing last week to Tottenham Hotspur, Cech believes the Blues showed their resilience in their performance against Tony Pulis' side.

"Every time if one game goes wrong, it is very important how a team responds in the following one," he said.

"Our response was excellent as we had left behind the Tottenham match and focused to play the best possible way against Stoke."

Lampard Expects No Favours

Frank Lampard has warned his Chelsea team-mates that Liverpool will not roll over against them on Sunday.

Cynics have suggested Liverpool could do Chelsea a favour at Anfield as they do not want bitter rivals Manchester United to win the Premier League and move ahead of their record of 18 championships

Chelsea goes into the game at Anfield one point ahead of United and Lampard insists Carlo Ancelotti's men will receive no favours from Liverpool.

"There's no chance that 11 Liverpool players can go out and consider Man United winning the championship in that game," said Lampard.

"They go out to win the game. You wouldn't be professional otherwise but they are professional. The manager's professional, the players are.

"There's no way they'll think about anything other than winning the game regardless of whether it gets them in the Champions League next year or not as well.

"Even if they're out of it, they will give everything. There's no doubt about that.

"It is a difficult match but it's not a case of us worrying. Everyone is aware that when they go to Liverpool it will be difficult, whatever stage of the season it is.

"It is quite a simple formula for us. Win two games and we win the league, if we don't, we may have to rely on goal difference - it depends on Manchester United's results."

Chelsea & Manchester City Eye Move For Barcelona Full-Back Dani Alves

Chelsea and Manchester City are keeping a close eye on Barcelona defender Dani Alves with a view to making a summer move, according to a report from Spanish newspaper Sport.

The Brazilian has been in talks with the club regarding a new deal for some time now with no significant progress being reported.

The 26-year-old's current deal expires at the end of the 2011-12 season, and City and Chelsea are believed to be hovering with offers that could make Alves one of the most highly paid players in the Premier League.

Barcelona are also believed to be ready to return with a much improved offer though as the competition for the player's services hots up as the close season draws nearer.

PFA Awards: Two Blues In Best Team

Didier Drogba and Branislav Ivanovic are the two Chelsea players selected in the Professional Footballers' Association Premier League team of the year.

The chosen 11 was named at the players' union annual awards on Sunday evening where it was also announced that Drogba had been beaten by Wayne Rooney in the vote for the main PFA Players' Player of the Year.

Aston Villa's James Milner was PFA Young Player of the Year.

The full Premier League team of the year is:

Joe Hart (Man City, Birmingham on loan), Branislav Ivanovic , Thomas Vermaelen (Arsenal), Richard Dunne (Aston Villa), Patrice Evra (Man Utd), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal), James Milner (Aston Villa), Darren Fletcher (Man Utd), Antonio Valencia (Man Utd), Wayne Rooney (Man Utd), Didier Drogba (Chelsea).

Kalou: Treble Top

It was a record breaking afternoon at Stamford Bridge on Sunday when Salomon Kalou netted his first hat-trick in our biggest ever top-flight victory.

But it wasn't just records broken, as Stoke City's defence crumbled under the pressure of a Chelsea side on fire. It was quite simply a fantastic performance, all ignited by Kalou.

The Ivorian netted our first, second and fourth goals, proving his capabilities up front. A brilliant achievement for any player but for Kalou, the team's win was more important than any individual accomplishment.

'It means a lot,' explained Kalou. 'But it is a very important moment for everyone, we have to keep winning, focus on our games and not think about anything else.

'On Sunday the team did well and 7-0 is a great result but the most important thing is that we got the three points and are back at the top of the table.

'The whole team reacted very well and now we have to go to Anfield, which will be a difficult game. If we win at Anfield everything is in our hands for the final game against Wigan.'

Sunday's win was the perfect antidote to a 3-1 Manchester United triumph on Saturday, as Tottenham conceded two penalties to give the Red Devils a comfortable victory.

It obviously wasn't as snug as a 7-0 thrashing but it was another three points none-the-less, which took the northerners to top of the table for just one day.

'Two games to go and everything are in our hands and we have to work hard if we want to finish champions,' reported Kalou.

'We just have to keep going. We know that Manchester won't back down so we have to push it, focus and keep winning games.'

Sunday’s thumping will hold us in good stead come the end of the season, when Manchester United could potentially finish on the same points as the Blues.

Should that happen the title will be decided on goal difference, which now sits strongly in our favour thanks to the Stoke result.

'Winning 7-0 at home is very important to show we really want to be champions. If you want to be champions then this is the kind of game you have to win.

'Everyone was at their best against Stoke; we played very well and it showed how everyone is focused and that's important.

'We know at the end it can be decided by the amount of goals, so you have to score as many as you can. If we finish on the same points as Manchester, that 7-0 may make the difference.'

Carlo Ancelotti Must Make Big Changes To The Side That Thrashed Stoke For Crucial Trip To Liverpool

Rule one of football management, goes the old saying, is never change a winning team. Bigger squads and habitual rotation - particularly among the big four - have challenged that notion in recent years, but if ever there was a time to re-embrace the principle, shouldn't it be now at Chelsea, following their biggest league win in 47 years with the demolition of Stoke City?

Simply, no. While we must pause to congratulate Carlo Ancelotti on the roaring success of an innovative and brave selection against the Potters, we have to appreciate the markedly different nature of the challenge that awaits the Blues at Anfield, as the coach surely has already.

Stoke arrived at Stamford Bridge with the joint best away defensive record in the Premier League this season, and Ancelotti decided he would take a sledgehammer to this particular nut. Didier Drogba was not rested as many thought he might have been, with his hernia troubling him, but was instead flanked by Salomon Kalou on one side and Nicolas Anelka (his mooted replacement) on the other.

Florent Malouda remained in the team in a deeper role than normal, with Michael Ballack and Frank Lampard also less advanced than they are accustomed to in the absence of John Obi Mikel.

The tactics defined the mood of Chelsea, and the strength of their reaction following the recent setback at Tottenham, a slip which Manchester United fully exploited to take a provisional lead in the table.

In going for the throat from the off, Chelsea showed they had recovered not just verve, but nerve. Anyone who has paid close attention to the sanguine Ancelotti this season already knew that he would not be cowed, as so many challengers have been, by the psychological jousts of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Kalou was the biggest hit of those to come into the team, scoring his first hat-trick in England, bamboozling Robert Huth and coaxing the Chelsea old boy into hauling him down for the penalty which produced the third goal.

The Ivorian had been symbolic of the tension which gripped the previous home performance, the far-too-narrow-for-comfort win over Bolton Wanderers. Starting his first game in a month, Kalou spurned a handful of presentable chances to give his side much-needed breathing space, and was swiftly returned to the sidelines for the Spurs encounter.

Yet interviewed after yesterday's win, Kalou himself accepted that this stellar display would not guarantee him a starting berth against Liverpool, playing down his performance's personal importance and pointing out the need for a contribution from all the squad's elements.

The world knows that the game with Rafa Benitez's men will define the Premier League title's destiny, so Ancelotti is likely to use the performance at Manchester United which turned the race back in his side's favour as his template.

Kalou will more than likely make way, with midfielders Joe Cole and Malouda likely to flank a sole centre forward in a move designed to encourage the side to maintain a disciplined shape and retain the ball as long as possible, rather than adopt the (necessarily) gung-ho approach they took into the Stoke match.

With possession so important Deco is likely to make a return, with his distribution having been a key element of the victory at Old Trafford. The major doubt is in the defensive midfield role. Mikel will again be absent, and Ballack showed little appetite or aptitude for the more physical side of the anchor role, which will surely be crucial against Steven Gerrard, with the Liverpool skipper returning to optimum form. Don't rule out a policing role for the versatile Juliano Belletti or even Branislav Ivanovic, with the Serbian international displaced from central defence by John Terry's return from suspension.

Why such caution? Nobody needs reminding that Chelsea need to win this. They are only a point in front, so a draw at Anfield would give United the chance to retake the advantage at the most crucial of moments.

But a bit of context has to be factored in. Not only is this an away game, not only do the home side have their pride and the tantalising (if unlikely) possibility of Champions League qualification to aim for, but simply, this is Liverpool.

There is plenty of recent history between Liverpool and Chelsea, and the emphasis is on nail-biting encounters often decided by a narrow margin, so the Blues won't be fooled by the Reds' current lowly position of seventh in the table.

Liverpool have ruined Chelsea's season in high-stakes ties before; witness the 2005 and 2007 second leg defeats in Champions League semi-finals, while the 2006 FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford saw Rafa and company end Jose Mourinho's own chances of a historic double.

It was even Liverpool who ended Chelsea's mighty 86-match unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge in October 2008, which put the skids under Luiz Felipe Scolari's nascent reign.

Nor is Liverpool's horribly disappointing season any impediment to their ability to match the big boys. Back in October the Reds went into another Anfield clash, with Manchester United, on a run of four consecutive losses which had already compromised their dual Premier League and Champions League challenges.

Their response was unequivocal, sending their rivals back up the M62 with a 2-0 defeat and their tails between their legs, with their desire personified by Fernando Torres - the barely-fit Spaniard tearing through Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic to strike the crucial opener.

Torres himself will be unable to reprise that performance on Sunday of course, which will be a relief to those of a Blue persuasion, for it was he who sent Scolari packing towards the exit door with a late double blast in the corresponding fixture last term.

Chelsea seem to have recovered their composure at an opportune moment, but every bit of that fortitude is about to be vigorously tested. Ancelotti needs no warning of that fact, and will calmly make the decisions that need to be made to ensure his debut season ends in glory.