David Luiz has told SFR Sport that Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday should not come as a shock to the team as the Premier League is "the most difficult league in the world."
Chelsea had triumphed in each of their previous 13 league matches before heading to Tottenham on Wednesday, but a brace of Delle Alli headers denied the Blues the chance to equal Arsenal's Premier League record for successive wins.
Antonio Conte's men are still five points clear of the chasing pack at the head of the table, but Luiz is conscious that the title race will be tight to the finish.
"That's the Premier League, it's difficult every day," he said. "We came up against a good side that played very well. We need to understand in which league we're playing, it's the most difficult league in the world.
"We need to take this with maturity. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. We won 13 games in a row, we lost tonight, but we're still in there for the title."
Chelsea teammate Diego Costa is also aware that the Blues are involved in a fight for the title.
"Unlike in Spain where it's almost a done deal when teams like Barca or Real Madrid take a big advantage, in the Premier League any team can beat you and you can lose that advantage," the former Atletico Madrid man told Onda Cero. "The top six teams are capable of winning the title."
Spurs' win, which was only their second over Chelsea in 14 attempts in the Premier League, moved Mauricio Pochettino's men back into the title reckoning, pushing them up to third place, seven points adrift of the leaders.
Had Eden Hazard's early shot found the back of the net instead of flashing just wide, the visitors may have returned to Stamford Bridge with something to show for their efforts.
Instead, Alli's header just before the break swung the game Spurs' way, and a second nine minutes after the interval gave Chelsea no way back as they tasted defeat in the Premier League for the first time since September.
Costa said Spurs' goals were down to a lack of focus from the Chelsea defence.
"We had hoped to extend our run but it wasn't to be," he said. "We played against a great rival, who were playing at home. They made the most of their chances and we didn't. The two goals were down to a lack of concentration from us."
Chelsea midfielder N'Golo Kante added to SFR Sport: "The goal in the first half hurt us. Tottenham are a good team that plays good football. They scored a second, and after that it was difficult to get back on level terms. We knew it would be a difficult match. They played well and deserved their victory this evening."
ESPN FC's Adriana Garcia contributed to this report.