Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has refused to write off Chelsea from this season’s Premier League race despite their back-to-back losses.

The Stamford Bridge side came third at the end of last season’s league to secure an automatic ticket for the UEFA Champions League.

Pundits have already given the trophy to either Manchester City or Liverpool, writing Chelsea off because of their inability to sign new players and the exit of former manager Maurizio Sarri

But Guardiola does not believe it is going to be a two-horse race as he makes his opinion known on Frank Lampard’s new-look side.

He said: “I’m really impressed with how Chelsea played in the games with tough teams in United and Liverpool.

“They didn’t win but I was really surprised with how good Frank Lampard’s team played. We saw United with the quality they have up front.

“Arsenal bought good players with [Nicolas] Pepe and David Luiz. They have [Pierre-Emerick] Aubameyang and [Alexandre] Lacazette, [Dani] Ceballos was an incredibly top player in Spain with good movement and quality.

“Tottenham are the same – they are all really good contenders.”