Joao Pedro celebrates scoring a hat-trick for Chelsea in their win over Aston Villa(Image: Ben Roberts - Danehouse)

Joao Pedro is relishing the pressure on his shoulders to become the first Chelsea striker since Diego Costa to score 20 goals in a season.

The Brazil international scored a hat-trick in Wednesday night's victory over Aston Villa, meaning he has now bagged 17 goals in all competitions for the Blues in his debut campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Joao Pedro has scored 14 in the Premier League alone, with only Erling Haaland (22), Igor Thiago (18) and Antoine Semenyo (15) bagging more than the 24-year-old. Chelsea have not had a striker since Costa in the 2016/17 season to reach the infamous 20-goal mark in the Premier League. Joao Pedro is not thinking about the outside noise as he looks to continue his red-hot form, which has seen him score 10 goals since Liam Rosenior's January appointment.

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"I just try to not think too much about the outside," Joao Pedro said. "I just try to...