Petr Cech today told his Chelsea team-mates they must bounce back from losing their unbeaten home record straight away and beat high-flying Hull on Wednesday night.

Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso's deflected effort handed Chelsea their first defeat at Stamford Bridge for 87 games and an early blow in the title race.

Rafael Benitez's side now lead Chelsea at the top of the table by three points and have handed the players a major psychological blow.

But Cech insists Chelsea can't afford to feel sorry for themselves and need to prove their character by winning at third-placed Hull City.

He said: "We have to bounce back. Defeats happen in football and you have to forget about it and start again.

"It has been a great run and I don't think anyone will get close to going 86 games unbeaten at home again it is a fantastic record.

"It was a strange feeling for me at the end because I have never lost a Premier League game at home in my Chelsea career.

"But now it has ended we have to think of Hull on Wednesday. We have the same amount of points as them and we need to bounce back with a victory. We want to start another run now. We know what we have to do and have the strength to do it."

It was Liverpool's first League win at Chelsea since 2004 and has firmly established their position as genuine title contenders.

But Cech has warned Liverpool not to get too carried away by their early success this season and added: "It is good for their confidence, but there are a lot of games to go. We have an away game against Liverpool later in the season and that will give us the chance to get back these points.

"They are top and genuine contenders. They didn't play very well at the start of the season, but have been getting results.

"They did well against us. They were well organised. The plan was simple, to defend well and not allow us any space.

"We didn't have the space to create chances in their 18-yard box. It was decisive."