LONDON -- Stoke City manager Mark Hughes believes that the Premier League title race will be decided between Chelsea and Liverpool, and says the Blues need to keep Diego Costa fit if they want to claim the trophy.
Chelsea beat Stoke 4-2 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday to consolidate their position at the top of the Premier League and extend their winning streak to 13 matches, tying the competition record for consecutive victories in a single season set by Arsenal in the 2001-02 campaign.
Hughes blamed "catastrophic defensive errors" for the loss -- Stoke's second in four days after a 4-1 defeat to Liverpool on Tuesday -- but believes his team have just played the two main contenders for the Premier League title.
"Liverpool and Chelsea are completely different in their approach," he told reporters. "Liverpool are high-intensity pressure from the off, high up the pitch. Chelsea are more cagey, allow you to play in your own half, and then are devastating on the counterattack. Two very different styles, but both very effective at the moment.
"Costa's performance today showed the value he gives to Chelsea [he scored their fourth]. You wouldn't want Chelsea to lose him because that could significantly damage their ability to win the league. But it'll be a close call between those two teams to win it."
Stoke matched Chelsea's 3-4-3 system at Stamford Bridge and caused Antonio Conte's men significant problems with an aerial bombardment built around Peter Crouch, twice levelling the match before goals from Willian and Costa put the game beyond their reach.
"We got into a good position," Hughes said. "There haven't been too many teams who have come here recently and scored two goals against a very good Chelsea side, so we take the positives from that.
"We've gone to Liverpool and come here and put in front foot, positive performances and affected the opposition, but we've made catastrophic errors in both games which have taken them away from us.
"At 2-2 we had to stay in the game for 15 minutes, but we conceded almost immediately. And the fourth [goal] is from a throw-in which bounces in our six-yard box. That shouldn't happen. Against good opposition, we're getting punished for every mistake we're making, but we'll take the positives.
"We'll have to defend better in the New Year than we are at the moment, though. It's to do with decision-making in key areas of the field. We have to do better in those areas, put our foot through it and get up the park a bit better.
"We came here with good intentions, trying to produce a positive performance, and we did that. But you can't allow opportunities like that to such good opposition."