Chelsea boss Carlo Ancelotti believes Manchester City are serious contenders for the Premier League following their 1-0 defeat of his side (City 8/1 to win Premier League).

On reflection of his team’s performance, the Blues boss commented: “We didn’t play how we wanted. They won a lot of tackles in midfield and we conceded a lot of counter-attacks.

“We were not able to use speed in our play because there was no space. We played too complicated in the opening half so we didn’t have a chance to score.”

Chelsea, who surrendered their 100 percent start in the League at Eastlands, are now just four points ahead of Roberto Mancini’s side.

City’s Dutch midfielder, Nigel de Jong, stressed this importance: “You always want to keep up with the teams above, so we knew we had to win, we’re happy now we’re just four points from top.”

Carlos Tevez’s second half strike was enough to sink Chelsea and gives rivals Manchester United the chance to close the gap at the top when they face Bolton at the Reebok on Sunday (Bolton 8/1 to beat Manchester United).