Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho was delighted after his side picked three points against Stoke City at Stamford Bridge.
With Arsenal easing past Liverpool in Saturday's early kick-off, the Blues were forced to reply with a win as they took full advantage of an Asmir Begovic error in the second half to seal a very important win.
The win helped Chelsea open a seven-point gap at the top of the table ahead of Manchester City's away game against Crystal Palace on Monday night.
"The most important thing is the three points," Mourinho told Sky Sports.
"The importance is obvious, we started the game needing six wins and one draw and now we need five wins and one draw. It was difficult and deserved.
"We controlled the game and had the ball in the first half, tried to penetrate through a well organised defence, we try and try and finally scored a goal with a great combination.
"Nobody expected that the first shot they had they would score, and at 1-1 the game becomes the same game that we started.
"We deserved to win, it was difficult but this is the normal pressure of the final couple of months in every championship. I wouldn't expect to play beautifully in this moment.
"The performance during the beginning of the season is what puts you in a position to be champions but you have ups and downs.
"You have opponents that, like Stoke, change their way to defend, to be more difficult for us to go through. Obviously we are very happy with the three points.
"In this moment, it is five victories and a done draw. Every victory and a draw is one step ahead.
"The others know they have to win every game. For us, we have to think about ourselves and forget about others. We know we have eight matches and we need five victories and a draw."
