Chelsea have shown that they can compete with the best and want to hunt down the Champions League places after their thriller with Manchester City, says goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Cole Palmer scored a 95th-minute penalty at Stamford Bridge to deny his former club and earn the Blues a 4-4 draw in another all-time Premier League classic on Sunday.
After their 4-1 win at Tottenham last Monday, Chelsea fought back to equalise three times against City and hope to have turned a corner under Mauricio Pochettino.
They went toe-to-toe with the champions and suddenly things are looking up, with Palmer and Raheem Sterling in fine form, Reece James fit again, the team starting to click and £52million signing Christopher Nkunku set to return from injury after the international break.
Chelsea are still 10 points outside the top four but, buoyed by the confidence of their best performance of the season, have set their sights set on trying to reel in the teams above them.
“It [the Champions League] is a big ask, but we have got spirit, confidence, belief and [with] the quality we have, we can get there,” said Sanchez. “If we keep improving in every game and getting points in every game, then I think it is possible.”
Chelsea defender Axel Disasi said after the game on Sunday that the Blues are “afraid of no one” - and Sanchez believes they have shown they can mix it with the best.
“That’s the message,” said Sanchez. “We went toe-to-toe [with City] and we know how good we are on counter-attacks as well. We played quick and fast, and scored four goals.
“Everybody was on it. From myself to Nico [Jackson] the striker, we were all on it. It shows you should never give up. We can get more and more near the top like we deserve.”
Palmer coolly converted his injury-time penalty, as the £40million summer signing came back to haunt City.
Raheem Sterling also shone against his old side following his latest England snub.
Sterling said: “Cole took the penalty really well. Fair play to him, he dispatched it. It was a big moment but he kept his head for us when we needed him to come up with the goods.
"The Champions League is a big ask, but we can get there with spirit, confidence, belief and quality"
“We’ve played against one of the best, if not the best, teams from the past seven or eight years and we’ve had a right go at them. We played with such belief and intensity but in the end, it’s certainly a good point for us.
“It’s been a good week for us. We’ve said for a while now, it’s been stepping stones all season for us.
“Little things we’ve been working on we’re starting to build on now and you can see the belief in the squad, as we’ve just gone toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the world.
“It was important we stood up to City because they’re a team if you sit off them and show them too much respect, they can just easily pick you off and punish you.
“We stood up to them, we were aggressive in our pressing and all the boys showed a real hunger and intensity. We showed real character and I think we were rewarded in the end."
