Di Matteo says Chelsea will need to win eight in a row

LONDON Chelsea must win their eight remaining Premier League games to finish in the top four after a 0-0 home draw with Tottenham Hotspur left them five points adrift of their London rivals, said stand-in manager Roberto Di Matteo.Victory on Saturday would have moved them within two points of fourth-placed Tottenham but the closest the hosts came in a disappointing derby was Juan Mata’s second-half free kick which struck the inside of the post.Third-placed Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Aston Villa meant the Gunners charged eight points clear of Chelsea, meaning a scrap with Tottenham for fourth spot and a berth in the qualifying round for next season’s Champions League.Chelsea have qualified for every Champions League competition since Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003.“We were looking to win the game and close the gap (but) we have to give credit to Spurs, they defended well and played a good game,” Di Matteo told the club’s website (www.chelseafc.com).“From the day I was appointed we all knew it would be a difficult task but there are still eight games to go and we will try to win as many as we can to try and gain fourth spot. To make the gap up we will have to win all of our games.”

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Di Matteo says Chelsea will need to win eight in a row