Wilkins: Blues seeing red over Liverpool defeat

Ray Wilkins believes Liverpool are mounting their first serious Premier League challenge – but he insists Chelsea are ready to fight them all the way.

Liverpool brought Chelsea’s remarkable 86-game unbeaten home league record to a halt on Saturday with a 1-0 win at Stamford Bridge.

Wilkins described the Chelsea dressing room as being like a morgue as the squad realised not only that their proud record was gone but that Liverpool had snatched a vital three points.

The Chelsea assistant boss has seen a determined reaction on the training field - and he expects a similarly-emphatic response against Hull tonight.

“This is the first time since the Premier League has been running that they have mounted a challenge so we could say it is long overdue,” said Wilkins.

“The do look as if they are an outfit now with the bit between their teeth. They are in amongst the big boys aren’t they?

“The dressing room was morgue-like on Sunday. The players were very, very down. The disappointment wasn’t the fact the record went it was that we lost three points to Liverpool.

“No-one likes being defeated and when you have a group of winners like we have, they found it very difficult to take that defeat.

“They will be trying doubly hard to make sure the next result we have is a positive result.”

Chelsea captain John Terry made his first-team debut 10 years ago this week, coming off the bench for the last four minutes in a 4-1 win over Aston Villa in which Gianluca Vialli scored a hat-trick.

Wilkins was involved with the club a decade ago and, having returned this season, he has found Terry to be the same determined figure he ever was.

That dominant personality has been important this week as Chelsea attempt to turn the disappointment of Sunday’s defeat into motivation for tonight’s clash at Hull.

“He was a very strong and determined character even at that age. He is a strong personality, a different class. That is what you need, you need men around to gee everyone up,” said Wilkins.

“When you think what Chelsea experienced last year – losing the Carling Cup, second in the league, losing the Champions League final on penalties – Sunday was a mere blip.

“The players have shown their character to come back from all that to be where we are at the moment.”

Chelsea have Joe Cole available again after the England international recovered from a foot injury and the Blues have missed his creative edge in recent weeks.

“Any side that misses a player of the calibre of Joe will have a slight struggle,” said Wilkins.

“Joe gives us lots of options – he can play left side, right side or through the middle.

“We have worked very hard to try and block that gap up but Joe gives us something very special and it is nice to have him back.”

Chelsea are still without Michael Ballack and Michael Essien but Didier Drogba has returned to training after suffering a knee injury in the 0-0 Champions League draw at Cluj on October 1.