Andre Villas-Boas has claimed that Chelsea "lost" the race for the Premier League title last month and that fourth place needs to be the Blues' main focus.

The London side suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa on Saturday following a string of draws, which has waned the Blues' chances of challenging Manchester City and Manchester United for the league trophy.

"It's very, very premature to speak about not finishing in the top four," the
Daily Star quotes Villas-Boas as saying.

"Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham are within reasonable distance for the top four and that's a fact. There is still plenty to play for.

"If we had continued to be competent from what we did against Man City, we would maybe be challenging for the league. You can say we might have lost it in December."

Chelsea take on Wolverhampton Wanderers today.