Chelsea needs to bounce back from Sunday's 2-0 defeat to Liverpool before other clubs catch up to them according to defender Ashley Cole.
The Blues remained on top despite the defeat but their lead was cut to two points after Manchester United managed a lucky win over Wolves.
Chelsea's loss arguably came at a good time as another title contender, Arsenal, were downed by Newcastle United and Cole says the importance of achieving a positive result over Fulham at home on Wednesday is high.
"I think it could have been worse," Cole told Sky Sports.
"If you look at teams like Arsenal, who are up there every year, they're quality, but luckily they didn't get a result.
"Man U pulled it back last minute and got a good result, but on Wednesday we've got a chance to bounce back now.
"That's the good thing about football - you have a game straight away to put out the bad memories.
"It's lucky for us that after a defeat we're still top, and that's where you want to finish at the end of the season.
"It's still in our hands to keep winning games and keep pushing on, and Wednesday's a big test for us to get back on track."
