Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has insisted that his team will continue fighting for the Premier League title despite 14 points separating the Blues from league leaders Manchester City.
City have won 16 and drawn one of their 17 league matches this season to top the table on 49 points - 11 clear of second-placed Manchester United.
Conte has admitted that he 'has not been surprised' by City's form during the 2017-18 campaign, but has called on his team to "find the right solution" in a bid to catch the Citizens.
"Manchester City are not a surprise for me. At the start of the season all the people said the league was for two contenders – Man City and Manchester United," the Italian told reporters.
"We must pay great attention, not only in England, because Man City is building a strong team to lead in Europe. At the same time, I think Man City is a really good team to have 15 wins in a row. I think also you must be lucky, because in many games they won in the last minute.
"They deserve this and we must have great respect. We must try to find the right solution to contend the title, to try to fight them. Not only Chelsea, but the five top teams."
Chelsea will look to make it back-to-back wins in the Premier League when they host Southampton on Saturday afternoon.
Matt Law
