Mourinho sitting pretty at summit

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has poured cold water on Alex Ferguson’s claim that Manchester United can still catch the Blues in the Barclays Premiership title race.

Having reduced the Londoners’ lead to nine points with Wednesday’s win over West Ham, the United chief is now looking for a favour from his old captain Steve Bruce, whose struggling Birmingham side tackle Mourinho’s men in today's lunchtime game.

Therefore, by the time his team kick off against Bolton, Ferguson will know whether they need to win to maintain the status quo or shove the door to a potential ninth Premiership crown wide open.

However, Mourinho insists he is not looking over his shoulder at the in-form Red Devils and the Chelsea boss believes nine points is a big enough cushion to feel confident of title glory.

The Portuguese told Chelsea TV: “Nine points behind I think is a big gap. If I was in their position, I would be happy with the last couple of months, where they are playing good and winning matches, but very concerned about the distance.

“Nine points with seven matches to go. I am not thinking they are very close to us. Of course we have to chase the points we need. We cannot wait for them to drop points, but nine points in the reality of modern football is a big gap.”