Gary Cahill hails "fantastic" Chelsea

Chelsea defender Gary Cahill has heaped praise on his side's performance during their 5-1 rout of Newcastle United this evening.

The Blues raced into a three-goal lead inside 20 minutes at Stamford Bridge and went on to cruise to their first home league victory since Guus Hiddink returned to the club.

Cahill, in for the injured Kurt Zouma for the game, was delighted with the result and performance, but was also quick to look ahead to upcoming matches against Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City in the Champions League and FA Cup respectively.

"It's great to be back on the pitch and, ultimately, getting the result. It was not just the result but the performance today was fantastic - great to be part of," he told Sky Sports News.

"The appetite and hunger was there. Numerous times we won the ball back quickly after losing it.

"We want to go as far as we can in the FA Cup and Champions League. Arguably, we have got the two biggest games of the season coming up for us now."

The win lifts Chelsea up to 12th in the Premier League table, now just two points off the top half.