Following Chelsea's 1-0 victory against Liverpool in the Premier League on Thursday, Jamie Carragher has backed the Blues to finish in the top 4.
Thomas Tuchel's side were rather untroubled during their win over the Premier League champions, with Mason Mount scoring the game's only goal. The win took Chelsea to 4th place in the league, three points behind Leicester City, who are third.
As for Liverpool, the loss meant that Jurgen Klopp's men will go into the weekend down in seventh place in the Premier League. Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was full of praise for Thomas Tuchel and Mason Mount after Chelsea's performance against his former club.
Carragher told Sky Sports, as reported by Football London:
"Great result for Chelsea, it really is. He’s (Thomas Tuchel) made a fantastic start to his Chelsea career, he’s come in on an 18-month contract and basically had to get this club into the top-four. They’re certainly in that position now."
"He was fantastic, Mason Mount. There was a lot of talk when he was on the bench for the first game. I’m sure Tuchel is aware of how important he is going to be, not just this season, but in years to come. They'll be difficult to shift out of that top-four now, Chelsea, they look a really good outfit," Carragher added.
Thomas Tuchel took over as Chelsea manager at the end of January and the London club have gone on a 10-game unbeaten run since then. The Blues will host Carlo Ancelotti's dangerous Everton side on Monday night and will look to consolidate their place in the league table.
Chelsea have an easier run of fixtures ahead of them
Following the game against Everton, Chelsea have a relatively easy run of fixtures in the Premier League. Thomas Tuchel's side will travel to Elland Road to take on Marcelo Bielsa's Leeds United next weekend, followed by clashes against West Brom, Crystal Palace and Brighton.
These four fixtures will be winnable from a Chelsea perspective and should go a long way in making sure that they finish in the top 4.
However, Chelsea will also have the daunting task of hosting La Liga leaders Atletico Madrid in the second leg of their Champions League Round of 16 tie. The Blues go into the game with a 1-0 lead but will know that Atletico Madrid could be their biggest test yet this season.