Salomon Kalou scored twice as Chelsea defeated Middlesbrough 2-0 at Stamford Bridge and move into second place in the Premier League. Kalou struck twice in the second half to see of Premiership strugglers Boro who remain deep in relegation trouble having gone eleven league games without a win.
Chelsea meanwhile leapfrog Liverpool on goal difference and are now two points off leaders Manchester United.
Chelsea coach Ray Wilkins reflected on a hard fought three points.
"Was it harder than we expected? We expected a hard game as they are fighting for their lives down the bottom end of the Premier League, it was nothing more than what we expected," he told Sky Sports.
"They (Boro) were always going to put a couple of banks of four behind the ball on every occasion, and they made it very difficult for us but our persistence paid off through Salomon Kalou."
Wilkins admits the whole club are now relishing the Super Sunday clash with Liverpool.
"It is going to be very difficult every game, and none bigger than the one we have this Sunday against Liverpool, but we will just keep plugging away, playing our football as good as we can and hopefully getting the victories," he said.
"We are winning and that is vitally important to maintain our challenge and winning football is always very positive. We are creating lots of chances, probably not taking as much as we should.
"Every game we play is massive now, our game against Liverpool on Sunday is a great event and one our players will be looking forward to."
Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate tended to look for the positives in the result.
"We are disappointed, I think anything today would have been a bonus ball for us, for long periods we frustrated Chelsea and we defended really well as a team," he told Sky Sports.
"In the end we were undone by two set-plays, which given the quality of the opposition, it hurts to be beaten that way.
"I think you can't come here and be gung-ho, you will get picked off - you need to be solid and we kept the ball reasonably well at times but we can't get bodies forward.
"But they didn't pepper the goal with efforts and didn't over work our keeper and we were as comfortable as you can be somewhere like this so the manner of the two goals was particularly galling."