Chelsea manager Antonio Conte has described his side's 1-0 triumph over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium this afternoon as a "very important" victory.
Diego Costa's 10th goal of the season was enough to fire Chelsea to the top of the Premier League table as they made it six wins in a row without conceding a goal.
Boro have taken points off Chelsea's title rivals Arsenal and Manchester City in recent weeks, and Conte is pleased not to have also slipped up against Aitor Karanka's side.
"It was very important. Today it was very important because these are tricky games. Now we have the week to prepare for a tough game against a strong team in Tottenham," he told Sky Sports News.
"It was a good performance against a very strong team, they drew with Arsenal and City, for this reason I am pleased with our performance.
"We played a good game, against good opposition, and created many chances to score the second goal. It's important to kill the game if you have chances because anything can happen from corners and crosses, but I am pleased."
Chelsea will host London rivals Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge next weekend.
Barney Corkhill
