Monday, 22nd December, 2014
Nemanja Matic has hailed Chelsea's 2-0 win away at Stoke City this evening, stressing it is vital for the Blues to maintain their advantage over Manchester City and Manchester United.
Chelsea raced out of the blocks at the Britannia Stadium when John Terry scored in just the second minute, putting the visitors 1-0 ahead.
The Blues quickly began to dominate the game and restricted Stoke's opportunities.
But they had to wait until the second half and the 78th minute to extend their lead when Cesc Fabregas scuffed a shot past the Stoke goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
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Chelsea closed out the game, Matic impressive in shutting Stoke down, and claimed three points.
"I think it's very important for us, of course every three points is very important, but mostly we know Stoke City play well at home. We expected a hard game and it was a hard game", Matic told Sky Sports.
"We used our quality and we played our game, like we wanted to play.
"I know for every team in the Premier League it's very difficult in this stadium to take even one point."
And Matic stressed the importance of staying ahead of Manchester City and Manchester United.
"I hope this win will help us to be first at the end of the season.
"It's very important to be first, so we depend on us now. We know there are a lot of games and Manchester City are three behind and Manchester United are ten.
"So anything can happen until the end and I hope we can stay in the position."
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