Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has said the team will be “stupid” to think they are in the Premier League title race.
The Blues saw their chances of catching Manchester City dim on Wednesday night after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Brighton.
Danny Welbeck’s late header cancelled out Romelu Lukaku’s opener at Stamford Bridge.
Tuchel’s squad has been ravished with injuries and COVID-19, leaving the German accepting defeat in the title race.
Asked if Chelsea can still compete for the title, Tuchel replied: “How should we be in it? We have seven Covid-19 cases. We have five or six players out for six or more weeks. How should we compete in a title race?
“We would be stupid to think we can do it out of Covid and injuries and just play, and everybody would be stupid to do it without 23 fit players.
