Maurizio Sarri has admitted it will be difficult for Chelsea to chase down Manchester City.

The Blues moved up into second place behind City with Sunday's 3-1 win over Crystal Palace.

City thrashed Southampton 6-1 in the game prior and Sarri knows it will be difficult to topple Pep Guardiola's side.

Asked if Chelsea could keep up with the Sky Blues, Sarri replied: "I don't know, I don't know. At the beginning, we knew very well that there was a gap.

"There was a gap last season, 30 points. So I think that, at the moment, we need only to think... to try to recover the large part of this gap. I hope to cover almost all the gap, but I don't know. I think it's very difficult to cover 30 points in six months, but we are trying."