David Sullivan has lifted any pressure Slaven Bilic may be feeling after last night’s defeat by taking it on the chin.

The co chairman – speaking on the club website – said:  “Chelsea are 10 points clear at the top of the table for a good reason – they are a well-organised, well-drilled outfit who take their chances ruthlessly and defend a lead better than any other side in the country.

But he pointed to some major positives from the match saying: We actually had more shots on goal than Chelsea (11 to their nine), more possession (52% to their 48%) and more corners (six to their four), while the late surge that saw Manuel Lanzini grab a consolation showed that Slaven’s team keep fighting until the end.”

And he added: “I believe we are only a couple of players short of having a very, very good side, and I can promise that we will be working extremely hard again in the summer to achieve that objective.

He is looking forward to the trip to Bournemouth declaring: “There is no reason to believe we won’t bounce back and enjoy a repeat of our memorable victory at the Vitality Stadium last season.  ”

Our away record since Christmas has been excellent, with three wins and a draw from five matches on our travels, and 11 goals scored.

We also have Michail Antonio available again after suspension and a victory will take us back into the top half of the table above Southampton, who are not in action.