Carlo Ancelotti has demanded an immediate response from his Chelsea players when they travel to take on basement club Portsmouth at Fratton Park on Wednesday (Portsmouth 15/2 draw 4/1 Chelsea 1/4 – match betting).

The west London club lost precious ground in the race for the Premier League title (Chelsea 5/2 Premier League – Outright) when they could only manage a 1-1 draw at Blackburn on Sunday to drop to third – just hours after Manchester United beat bitter rivals Liverpool to move two points clear of Arsenal in second place.

Chelsea will play their game in hand when they go up against former manager Avram Grant this week but now trail Sir Alex Ferguson’s side by four points and still have to go to Old Trafford.

Ancelotti has admitted it will be difficult for the Blues to overhaul United but has insisted they will not throw the towel in.

“It’s important to win on Wednesday,” added Ancelotti.

He added: “We need to work together, stay compact and the next game against Portsmouth is very important, we can stay close to Manchester United.

“I don’t know how many points we need to win the title but I know we have to win on Wednesday and then prepare game by game.”