Chelsea star demands Southampton response

Gary Cahill has rallied his Chelsea team-mates to bounce back from the disappointment of crashing out of the Champions League last night by beating Southampton on Sunday.

The Londoners resume domestic duties at the weekend as Cahill demands a response after 10-man Paris Saint-Germain knocked them out of the last 16 on the away goals rule – 3-3 on aggregate.

Having already won the Capital One Cup and been eliminated from the FA Cup, Wednesday’s defeat paves the way for the Blues to concentrate solely on winning the Premier League.

Jose Mourinho’s side sit five points clear of second-placed Manchester City with a game in hand, and Cahill urges his team-mates to shelve their hurt and focus on winning the title.

“We didn’t play to our potential, the way we can play, especially when they went down to 10 men,” he told the club’s official website.

“You expect to grab the game by the scruff of the neck then. We didn’t do that and I’m not sure why.

“The lads are hurting. We’ll all go home and reflect on this defeat. We are disappointed but we’ve got an important last 11 games and now that’s solely our focus, on the League.

“It starts this weekend – we have to get back up and running.”