Ancelotti defiant as Chelsea slump deepens

Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti says his side are still alive in the title race, despite going down to Wolves at Molineux on Wednesday.

Mick McCarthy’s Wolverhampton side, who were bottom of the Premier League at kick-off, beat the reigning Premier League champions 1-0 thanks to a Jose Bosingwa own goal that was conceded after just five minutes.

The loss leaves Chelsea sitting nine points behind leaders Manchester United and outside the top four, but Ancelotti insists all is not lost.

“We have to maintain confidence and move on,” Ancelotti told SkySports.

“Nothing is lost in the season. It is difficult to fight for the title but nothing is lost. There are a lot of games and we have to keep going.”

Pressure on Ancelotti’s reign at Stamford Bridge will grow after yet another defeat as Chelsea’s wretched run continues – they have won just two of their last 11 matches in all competitions.

But despite his side’s poor form, Ancelotti maintains his job is safe and said his team need to just keep persisting.

“I just can say that I have total support of the club in this moment. Obviously I have to do better, it is not enough what we are doing in this moment,” he said.

“We have to keep going, we have to work hard and have confidence in the future.”

In stark contrast to Ancelotti’s sombre mood, Wolves boss Mick McCarthy was delighted with his side’s performance.

“I thought the players were terrific. I thought they bought into the tactics we play,” McCarthy said.

“I know they had a couple of chances and we rode our luck a couple of times. But overall a really solid performance from my team.”

Wolves’ victory sees them climb out of the relegation zone and into 17th on the league table.