Chelsea's slim title hopes could finally be doused if Blues drop points to Liverpool

Chelsea started the month of December as one of the main contenders for the Premier League after rising to the top of the table while playing some very good football.

However, the Blues haven’t been able to maintain their consistency, which has seen them lose a bit of steam in recent weeks.

Defeat against West Ham United and draws against Everton, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Brighton and Hove Albion have struck a hammer blow on Chelsea’s title ambitions.

But all is not lost yet and Thomas Tuchel’s side could get back on track if they manage to beat Liverpool on Sunday. This is a game between two of the Premier League’s top three sides and the outcome will be crucial in the title race.

Blues have lost ground in title race

As it stands, Manchester City are running away with the title after winning each of their last 11 matches in the Premier League.

Pep Guardiola’s side has, however, been aided by the sloppiness of their rivals. Chelsea could easily have been within touching distance of the Cityzens, but the Blues have simply not been good enough.

Tuchel’s side has lost just one Premier League game since September, but there have been too many draws and that has been the bane of the team.

It’s not as it Chelsea don’t create chances; they do, but struggle to put the ball in the back of the net. Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz and Romelu Lukaku have all not been clinical enough despite their enormous talents.

Chelsea’s stuttering form has caused the Blues to lose ground in the title race and they’ll need to seriously buck up to get back into contention.

Chelsea's title hopes on the line

With Manchester City beating Arsenal on Saturday, Guardiola's side have now opened a nine-point lead at the top of the table.

What that means is that Chelsea will also need to win against Liverpool on Sunday to close the gap. Anything less and their title hopes could further fade away.

"We don't like it, everybody here wants to make it happen fast, everybody wants to have a close title race," Tuchel said ahead of the game, as quoted by Chelseafc.com.

"Two or three weeks ago we had a super-close title race, everybody thought we had three teams competing. Now we lost the edge a little bit, I think because of circumstances that we cannot influence, and that gave them a certain advantage and they are in five or six years now of consistency.

"That is what they have and it makes it hard. It does not make it impossible and we will never stop believing and never stop pushing, but we have to be realistic and at the moment we struggle."

Indeed, Chelsea’s chances of usurping Manchester City to win the league are currently slim but they cannot give up now. Should they lose to Liverpool, though, that could signal the end of their title hopes.