Chelsea resilience is key in title race

"I'm not bothered who wins," he said. "United and Arsenal are better to watch but Chelsea have a resilience. We have thrown it open a bit today which is good for the League."

Yes, good for the League, good for neutrals and without doubt good for Sky, who can expect a bumper audience when Chelsea host United at the Bridge on 26 April.

It is a mouthwatering contest now that the top two teams are separated by only three points thanks to Chelsea's comfortable 2-0 win over Manchester City and United's 2-2 draw at Boro yesterday.

Southgate was spot on when he highlighted the resilience that Avram Grant's team have shown as United and Cristiano Ronaldo have taken all the plaudits.

They are unbeaten in the League since they lost at Arsenal back in December.

For midfielder Jon Obi Mikel the scenario is a simple one. Win their next two games - Wigan at home and Everton away - and then go on to beat United and they will be champions.

He said: "We know we can go all the way and they will drop more points.

"All we have to do is keep winning our games and then towards the end we play Manchester United. I think that's going to be the deciding game. It's just the two of us going head to head now.

"We know we have been creeping up on them almost unnoticed. Like Joe Cole said, we are silent killers and we keep coming and coming."

It seemed appropriate that another hard-fought Chelsea win should come while the Grand National was being run and they do have the look of a team coming up on the rails.

The victory at Eastlands was a perfect response to the defeat in Fenerbahce and went some way to answering the allegations of former striker Mateja Kezman, who accused the players of no longer having the team spirit they enjoyed under Jose Mourinho.

Mikel added: "Everyone has an opinion on the team, but all we have to do is keep working. We think the spirit is still there, we just have to keep going. People move on, but we know the spirit is still there. When we lose, people say we haven't got the same spirit and when we win, they say it's back again."

If Chelsea do end up falling short, Grant feels the team's slow start under Jose Mourinho at the beginning of the season will be the cause.

He said: "You need to do your own job and I don't want to look back, because it's a fact that we lost a lot of points at the beginning and needed to chase other teams. I don't know if 89 points will be enough, but I have to believe it will be."

Skipper John Terry's admission that Grant gave the team a dressing down at half-time at City on Saturday, even though they were 1-0 up, may point to a new side of the Chelsea boss not previously seen.

His team went out after the break with his words ringing in their ears and Salomon Kalou added to Richard Dunne's own goal in the first half to claim all three points.

City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson - whose team have done the double over United this season - is in no doubt that, nasty or not, Grant has what it takes to win the title.

Eriksson said: "I think he is doing a great job. He is a good man. It is never easy to be a manager fighting for two titles. Now and then you lose a match of course. Chelsea have a good chance in the Champions League. They need to turn around the result from Turkey but they will do that.

"Unfortunately for him, he is in charge of a team that almost have to win every game. It is the same with United and I suppose it is the same with Arsenal.

"With these teams the expectations are so big. You have to fight for the League, for European cups, but Chelsea are doing very well. They have a chance to win everything."

Grant would love to have keeper Petr Cech back for the crucial league games as well as the second leg against Fenerbahce, but he still remains doubtful with his ankle injury.

Cech, who has been out for a month, was hoping to be back by now but is still not 100 per cent.

His agent Pavel Zika said: "I spoke with Petr on Friday afternoon. He joined in with the full training, but after a month of not playing he needs to get as much training as possible.

"It remains to be seen how he will feel on Tuesday. We will also seek the views of the Chelsea club doctor and, of course, coach Avram Grant. Everything is now in Chelsea's hands."

Meanwhile, Brazil legend Roberto Carlos is set to play at Stamford Bridge after playing his first match for Fenerbahce for two months.

Carlos has been out with a shin problem, but helped Fenerbahce beat Kayserispor in the Turkish league on Saturday.

Manager Zico is confident his side will cause another shock against Chelsea and knock them out.

He said: "Chelsea are not an unbeatable team. It is not important what names or shirts you have, but what you do on the pitch. I cannot see any reason for us to fail in England."