Chelsea captain John Terry determined to give Antonio Conte 'food for thought' during Premier League run-in

Chelsea defender John Terry hopes he has given Antonio Conte "food for thought" after featuring in Saturday's FA Cup victory over Wolves.

Terry was once among the first names on the team sheet at Stamford Bridge but has slipped down the pecking order this season.

The 36-year-old has retained the captain's armband but has rarely been able to convince Conte he deserves a place in the side ahead of David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Cesar Azpilicueta.

But Terry played a full 90 minutes as Chelsea progressed to the FA Cup quarter-finals with a comfortable win at Molineux and is determined to give his manager a selection headache during the run in.

"The main thing for our team, especially for the likes of me and Cesc Fabregas who haven’t been playing regularly, is when we get the opportunity to play, we come in and keep winning and we keep that momentum" he told Chelsea's official website.

"We have to give the manager food for thought as well because the other boys have been superb.

"As a group we have been training well and they have been flying in the League. All we can do as a group is keep winning football matches and make it difficult for everyone else," he added.

Chelsea boast an eight-point lead at the top of the table with just 13 games left to play and are on course to win their fifth top-flight title in the modern era.

But Terry is adamant nothing can be taken for granted as England's top tier is a fiercely competitive environment, with even so-called small teams posing a threat to the Blues' title charge.

"This year, especially in the Premier League, everyone is beating everyone.

"It is not like five or 10 years ago when you could look at a fixture and think we can go there and pick up three points and move on to the next match.

"Everyone is set up really well and the quality of players has increased over the years as well," Terry added.

Meanwhile, goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has backed Terry to continue playing at the highest level beyond the end of the season.

Terry's contract expires at the end of the current campaign but Standard Sport understands several Chinese Super League clubs are interested in the centre back.