Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has warned Liverpool that his side 'are the hunters now' as they chase top spot in the Premier League.
The Blues' 3-1 Boxing Day victory against Aston Villa drew them level with the Reds in second place on 41 points but have played a game more.
Manchester City are currently top, six points clear, having also played a game more than the Reds.
With the top three so tightly packed, Lukaku has sent a clear message to the two teams above them that his side will chase the teams above them as they look to win their first league title since 2017.
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"We are the hunters now. It’s clear that the last results for us were not the best and now we have to chase. We had to do a job, we had to win the game," Lukaku told Chelsea's official website.
"It was not easy for us but in the end our quality came through and we won the game. Now we need to keep pushing on. We have to make sure that we treat every game like a final, win, and that’s it."
Chelsea welcome Jurgen Klopp's side on January 2 in what will be a key game in the title race.
The current UEFA Champions League holders head into that game with major fitness doubts over Thiago Silva and N'Golo Kante.
Both are unlikely to feature against Brighton and Hove Albion on Wednesday and could miss out five days later at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking after the Villa fixture, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel said: "N’Golo is very painful on exactly the same spot where he had his injury versus Juventus.
"Thiago came off with hamstrings, hopefully he went out before it became an injury. From there we try to continue and find a new squad and strong squad on Wednesday."
