sportggist

Chelsea ran out 3-1 winners over Crystal Palace on Sunday ,  meaning that the Italian has not been beaten in any of his first eleven league matches in charge of the club. Alvaro Morata starred with a brace and Pedro netted the third as Sarri’s side outgunned their opposition. This result puts him level with former Nottingham Forest boss Frank Clark, who also went eleven unbeaten in 1994. The Blues came closest to defeat when they hosted Manchester United in October, however a late Ross Barkley equaliser ensured the manager’s streak continued. When asked about the record after the Palace win, the 59-year-old declared: “I was lucky, because I have very good players.” Maurizio Sarri will now have the chance to break the record when Chelsea host Everton at Stamford Bridge next Sunday.

Maurizio Sarri believes Chelsea are not good enough defensively to be considered Premier League title contenders but insisted he will not ask the club to solve the problem by spending in the January transfer window. Chelsea lie third in the Premier League after 10 matches, only two points behind defending champions Manchester City and Liverpool, and are yet to taste defeat after scoring 24 goals and conceding just seven. Sarri is surprised at his team's lofty position in the table having predicted they would encounter "problems" in the first half of the campaign, and remains adamant that they are some way short of achieving the defensive solidity that underpins truly elite sides. "The situation is dangerous," Sarri said. "We defended well in Burnley then three days later [against Derby in the Carabao Cup] we weren't able to defend in the same way. It is dangerous to not have continuity, we need to improve continuity. "I think we have the...