(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Chelsea defender Gary Cahill claims his side's superior mental strength could be the decisive factor in the Premier League title race.
Jose Mourinho's team host London rivals Tottenham on Wednesday looking to cement their lead at the top of the table after extending their unbeaten run to 20 matches in all competitions with a goalless draw at Sunderland at the weekend.
That stalemate at the Stadium of Light marked the first time Chelsea had failed to score this season and only the third time they had failed to take all three points from a league fixture in the current campaign. But, rather than dwell on those rare negatives, England international Cahill took heart from the way Chelsea went toe to toe with fired-up Sunderland in a bruising battle.
The Blues refused to be intimidated by Sunderland's aggressive approach and Cahill believes that solidity and togetherness is a vast improvement on last season, when they occasionally tossed away points against inferior but committed opponents.
"I think we are a different side to last year, not just personnel, but mentally I think we are different," Cahill said. "They made it a scrap, but we matched that and managed to play our football as well.
"When teams sit back and get back in that shape, it's very tough. We saw that last year and this was no different. "But in these sorts of games, if you don't get the breakthrough, it's important we don't lose the game, and it's a point away from home."
There was little chance of Chelsea being intimidated by Sunderland's barrage with feisty Spain striker Diego Costa always willing to fight fire with fire.
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