Pelegrini questions Chelsea's title chase tenacity

Manuel Pellegrini has challenged Chelsea to prove they can last the distance in the title race.

Manchester City have cut Chelsea's lead at the top of the Premier League to three points, having trailed Jose Mourinho's side by eight a fortnight ago.

Champions City can go top, ahead of Chelsea - who play at Stoke on Monday night - by beating Crystal Palace by four goals at the Etihad in Saturday's lunchtime match.

And Pellegrini has turned the heat up on the league leading Londoners by questioning whether they can see out the title or will fall short, like Arsenal and Liverpool last season.

Arsenal topped the table for several months before falling away, while Liverpool's late collapse allowed City to clinch a second title in three years.

Pellegrini said: "I think Arsenal last season had a very similar number of points as Chelsea have now. So we'll see what happens in the second half of the season and how many points you need to win."
When it was put to him that Arsenal do not have Chelsea's perceived staying power, Pellegrini cast doubt on the mental resilience of Mourinho's players.

"We don't know," said the City boss. "Maybe Arsenal last season couldn't do it in the second half, but we don't know what Chelsea will do this year. I think that we must try and think about our team and not the others.