Blues out of race for title, says boss Conte

ANTONIO Conte conceded Chelsea are out of the title race after their 1-0 defeat at West Ham.

Marko Arnautovic’s early goal condemned the Blues to a fourth defeat of the season and left them 11 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.

And boss Conte admitted: “This is the fourth defeat in 16 games. When you have these stats, it’s impossible to think you are in the title race.

“If you want to stay in the race for the title in the first part of the season you can only lose once or twice.”

David Moyes admitted his relief at getting his first win as West Ham boss.

“The win was the biggest thing, to get a win in the Premier League is really hard especially against the champions,” the Scot said to Sky Sports.

“The spirit of the team, how they stuck together pleased me. The basics were in the main done well.

“I got a big boost from the performance at Manchester City, we didn’t take any points from it, but there was something to talk positive about.

“We look harder to beat at the moment, we have people who can create and score goals, so if we can get the back end sorted, we might give ourselves a chance of earning some points.

Hammers skipper Mark Noble praised the effect Moyes has had since he arrived at the club.

“We have got a great bunch of players who work hard for each other,” he said.

“We didn’t have the rub of the green in the first part of the season, but I think the manager has come in and solely concentrated on the team shape and not conceding goals and I think that showed today.” David Moyes celebrates win over Chelsea