Another top team may have joined the Premier League title race despite the claim that Arsenal and Manchester City are the clear favourites to battle for the prize once again.
Pep Guardiola’s praise for Chelsea shows that the London club are becoming an increasingly serious presence in the Premier League title picture.
City survived a late scare at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night, edging an extraordinary nine-goal thriller 5–4 to close the gap on Mikel Arteta’s side to two points.
What looked like a routine evening quickly spiralled into something far more chaotic. Storming into a 5–1 lead by the 54th minute, City appeared to have put the contest beyond reach.
But three Fulham goals in a frantic 21-minute spell shifted the atmosphere dramatically, forcing Guardiola’s players to cling on through a tense final stretch in west London.
Arsenal, who face Brentford at the Emirates on Wednesday, can immediately restore a five-point cushion with another victory.
Chelsea, meanwhile, travel to Leeds United on the same night, knowing that three points would move them back to within touching distance of City.
Enzo Maresca’s side produced a dogged, composed display in their 1–1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, holding firm after Moises Caicedo’s first-half dismissal.
Their resilience—and the broader evolution of their football under Maresca—has not gone unnoticed by Guardiola.
Guardiola: Chelsea “impress me more and more”
Even with the win at Fulham, Guardiola made clear that overtaking Arsenal remains a substantial challenge.
And while City continue their pursuit of a seventh league title under his watch, the Spaniard believes Chelsea have quietly emerged as a credible force in the race.
“Arsenal are so strong and so solid,” Guardiola said after the final whistle at Craven Cottage.
“So I know what we have to do, I know if we drop points it will be so difficult, we have to put in our mindset that it will be difficult but at the same time the Premier League is so long.
“I promise you I am the oldest manager in the Premier League and have enough experience to make a long, long run to try to fight to win the Premier League. It is so long.
“Chelsea impress me more and more every day with Enzo [Maresca], but it’s long.”
Guardiola’s praise for Chelsea was deliberate. The London club may have started the campaign unevenly, but their blend of high-intensity pressing and strong technical structure has begun to resemble the type of mid-season growth Guardiola often warns rivals about.
His acknowledgement that they “impress me more and more every day” is perhaps the clearest sign yet of the respect their revival is commanding across the league.
Maresca urges caution despite Chelsea’s rise
Maresca, however, refuses to be drawn into title talk despite the growing buzz around his team.
The Chelsea head coach has consistently urged patience, arguing that their place near the top of the table means little if they cannot sustain their form through the most demanding period of the season.
“We are in December, if in February or March we are where we are now, we are going to be title contenders. But if in February or March we are not there… so for me it’s too early,” Maresca said ahead of Wednesday’s trip to Leeds.
“From [Leeds] on, we have eight games just in December. In January we have eight games. So they are the two months that are more complicated.
“If we are able to survive and be there in February or March, for sure we’re going to be there. But now, I don’t know where we’re going to be in February.”
His caution is grounded in Premier League reality. The winter months often expose gaps in squads, test fitness levels and demand tactical adaptability at a higher rate than any other part of the campaign.
Chelsea’s improved structure has allowed them to manage adversity more effectively—Sunday’s draw with Arsenal being a prime example—but sustaining that resilience across a congested schedule will determine whether they remain in contention long-term.