Thibaut Courtois refusing to give up title chase

Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has insisted that his side will not give up hope of catching Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, despite falling further behind the leaders at the weekend.

Antonio Conte's side needed a late equaliser to come away with a point from their trip to Anfield on Saturday, but City's hard-fought 2-1 win over Huddersfield Town a day later saw them extend their lead over the champions to 11 points.

City have been in relentless form this season, winning 11 consecutive league games and picking up 37 of the 39 points on offer in the top flight, but Courtois is hopeful that the busy festive period may help to slow Pep Guardiola's side down.

"December is a very tough month. Maybe they drop some points," he told reporters.

"We have to be there to keep on winning and hopefully close down on them, then towards the end of the season maybe overtake them. But at the moment they are the best team in the league and it's hard for them to drop points."

City are the first team in Premier League history to have picked up 37 points from their opening 13 games of a season.