Chelsea next four fixtures compared to Liverpool, Man…

Chelsea next four fixtures compared to Liverpool, Man Utd and Tottenham in crucial top four period

Chelsea made the perfect return to domestic action by ending a poor run of form with a 2-0 win over Bournemouth. Goals from Kai Havertz and Mason Mount put the Blues in control before an assured second half display got Graham Potter's men over the line.

Having recorded three straight league losses and being beaten on four of the last five times in all competitions before the World Cup break, it was important to pick up quickly. The top four race promises to be as competitive as ever, with Newcastle making their way into second after they defeated Leicester 3-0 away on Boxing Day.

Tottenham continue to pick up points, though not entirely convincingly, whereas Manchester United have bounced back under Erik ten Hag. Brighton also remain in the hunt for European places and Liverpool have found form after a terrible start to the campaign.

All of this meant that beating Bournemouth came with some increased pressure, a task that Chelsea rose to at Stamford Bridge. Tougher tests await though. Here, football.london takes you through what's to come.

Nottingham Forest (A) - January 1

Next up for Potter is a trip to the City Ground and another newly promoted team for Chelsea to face. It will provide a chance to keep the pressure on their top four rivals ahead of a tricky run of games to come after.

Forest are coming off the back of losing to Manchester United and sit 19th in the table needing to improve their form to try and escape the drop this season.

Manchester City (H) - January 5

Potter will have his chance at Carabao Cup redemption in the first of two big matches against Manchester City. Pep Guardiola's side have already come face-to-face with the Blues in the Carabao Cup this season, with the champions winning 2-0.

This home league match will be the toughest test of Chelsea's mettle yet, though. Given the importance of the league and finishing in the top four, this may well be seen as the more important of the two games.

Manchester City (A), FA Cup - January 8

No matter what the result three days earlier, Chelsea will then go up to Manchester to face the same opposition. It will be the third time they have met already this season.

With fixture congestion it could be picked out as a chance to rotate players, especially after the World Cup, but if things don't go well before this Potter could be facing a massive mountain at the Etihad Stadium.

Fulham (A) - January 12

It's a west London derby to end this run of four matches. The Cottagers are just one place behind Chelsea in the table having played one game more and have been a breath of fresh air for the league.

Marco Silva's side have outscored their neighbours by eight with Aleksandr Mitrovic leading the way with 10 already. His goals have helped lift the last promoted side Chelsea are left to face to six wins and four draws so far.

Tottenham next four fixtures:

Aston Villa (H) - January 1

Crystal Palace (A) - January 4

Portsmouth (A), FA Cup - January 7

Arsenal (H) - January 15

Newcastle next four fixtures:

Leeds (H) - December 31

Arsenal (A) - January 3

Sheffield Wednesday (A), FA Cup - January 7

Leicester (H), Carabao Cup - January 10

Liverpool next four fixtures:

Leicester (H) - December 30