David James has claimed that despite slipping to third in the table Chelsea remain the 'team to beat' this season.
The west London club sat atop the Premier League until last weekend when their 3-2 defeat at West Ham saw them fall behind the Reds and Manchester City, after they won their respective games.
Thomas Tuchel’s side were close to dropping more points when they hosted Leeds on Saturday, but scored an injury-time penalty to secure a precious 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge.
With City and Liverpool also winning this weekend, Chelsea remain third, two points adrift of the Sky Blues and one fewer than Jurgen Klopp's side.
However, former Reds stopper James believes that Chelsea are still firmly in contention despite looking a little less assured than their rivals in recent weeks.
‘I’m glad Chelsea won today because they are the team to beat for me,’ he told Stadium Astro.
‘I’ve actually tipped them not to be top of the table come Christmas based on the games they've got coming up. Man City and Liverpool’s fixtures are a lot more comfortable.
‘But everyone has struggled to a point. Last weekend there were tight wins [for Liverpool and Man City].
‘It’s a tough season but I think Chelsea are the team to beat. When you see Liverpool in this kind of determined form, stringing wins together, of course they are going to run them close.’
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The Christmas period could prove crucial to which one of the top three manages to steal an advantage, with each side having four league games to navigate by the end of December.
Next up for Liverpool is a home clash with relegation threatened Newcastle on Thursday, while Chelsea will host an Everton side that have won just one of their last 10 Premier League games.
City have the opportunity to extend their advantage at the top when they welcome Leeds to the Etihad on Tuesday.
