Rafael Benítez refuses to rule Chelsea out of Premier League title race

Rafael Benítez believes it is too early to count Chelsea out of the Premier League title race, despite the Blues sitting 10 points behind leaders Manchester United.

The west Londoners travel to Sunderland on Saturday looking to close the gap on Sir Alex Ferguson’s league leaders, who face a trip to defending champions Manchester City on Sunday.

Benítez is yet to register his first Premier League win since taking charge at Stamford Bridge after overseeing two goalless draws before a defeat at West Ham United last weekend.

The Spaniard is confident the Blues can still challenge, but warned his side they must “show our character” if they are to have any chance of closing the gap to the top.

The Chelsea interim boss said: “I’m not worried about the distance [the 10 points to leaders Manchester United].

“It’s important we win so we are close, but all we can do is think about one game at a time.

“We have to improve the team and be mentally strong enough to compete in the second part of the league.

“At Valencia we were eight points behind in January. If we have to do the same here, we will do it. But we have to show the same character we have.

“The main thing is about the evolution of our team. If we’re stronger, we’ll be able to win games in a row. We have to find form.”