Gary Neville believes that Chelsea FC showcased their credentials as genuine Premier League title contenders with their 1-0 victory at Brentford on Saturday.
Ben Chilwell’s goal on the stroke of half-time ended up being all that separated the two sides at the Brentford Community Stadium as Thomas Tuchel’s men regained top spot in the Premier League.
Their win left them a point clear of second-placed Liverpool FC and two ahead of third-placed Manchester City as the Premier League title race begins to take shape.
Tuchel has been tasked with steering Chelsea FC to their first Premier League title success since their 2017 triumph under Antonio Conte.
Despite acknowledging the clear strength of both Liverpool FC and Manchester City in the title race this term, former Manchester United full-back Neville is convinced that the south west London side have what’s needed to mount a serious Premier League challenge this season.
Speaking to Sky Sports after Saturday’s clash with Brentford, Neville said: “I think Chelsea can win the title. I know people will say Manchester City or Liverpool and you can’t disagree with that given what they’ve done over the last three or four years.
“City’s performance at Chelsea a few weeks ago was incredible, but I do feel this Chelsea team are resilient and are tough to play against. I can’t think that any team in the league would like to play against them.
“I know Brentford have enjoyed the last 10 to 15 minutes, but this was a tough game for them for the first 70-80 minutes. They couldn’t get into it, they had to change and they had a bit of joy at the end.
“That was a Chelsea team that had a few players missing as well, and they’ve got so many to come back. They had so many good players coming off the bench too, so I feel they’ve got a great shout of winning the title.”
Chelsea FC’s next game in the Premier League is a home clash against Norwich City on Saturday. After that, the Blues will face Newcastle United, Burnley and Leicester City.
Meanwhile, goal-scorer Chilwell was full of praise for man-of-the-match Edouard Mendy after his excellent performance helped to keep Brentford at bay on Saturday.
The Senegal international produced a string of crucial saves in the second half as the Blues were able to withstand relentless pressure from the home side.
“I’m happy to score a goal but I think we have got to thank Edou,” said Chilwell after Saturday night’s win.
“I don’t know how many saves he made but there were a lot of very important saves and he does it every week for us. He bails us out, whether it’s once or twice, or in this game on several occasions. He’s a world-class goalkeeper and is the one we’ve got to thank.
“It just gives you confidence when you know you’ve got someone like that behind you that comes to collect the ball from crosses, is a brilliant shot-stopper and good with his feet.
“We see it every day in training but now he’s getting the credit he deserves and in these sorts of games where he makes big saves, he gets us the three points in the end.”
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