Antonio Conte lauded Chelsea's "will to win" as the leaders moved 13 points clear with a 2-1 victory at Stoke that inched them closer to the Premier League title.
Having earlier conceded a penalty, Gary Cahill fired in an 87th-minute winner at the bet365 Stadium to spark wild celebrations among the Blues' players and staff at a venue where a loss last November dropped them to 16th in the table.
It was not straightforward in Staffordshire - with Willian's free-kick opener cancelled out by Jonathan Walters' spot-kick - but Conte's side emerged with three points due to the type of performance usually associated with champions-in-waiting.