• Premier League

Mourinho: Chelsea will get better

Ramires proved to be Saturday's match-winner for Chelsea © PA Photos

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Jose Mourinho believes there is plenty of room for improvement in his Chelsea side, but is not surprised that they are within reach of the Premier League summit on Christmas Day.

Chelsea made hard work of a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace after Fernando Torres' opener was cancelled out by Marouane Chamakh, with Ramires netting what proved to be the winner in the first half.

Mourinho's men are now within two points of leaders Arsenal, who lost at Manchester City earlier on Saturday, and can assume the Premier League lead by winning at the Emirates Stadium on December 23.

Mourinho, who watched most of the second half of the match at the Etihad Stadium prior to kick-off at Stamford Bridge, said: "I'm not surprised because it's our nature. It's in this club's DNA over the years to try to fight for trophies.

"It's my way of work, too; it's the mentality we want the players to have.

"We all know that this is a transitional period, we all know that we have just a few players from the winning side from the past. We all know we have lots of young talent to improve.

"I believe that in another club with a different profile everybody would say: 'OK, let's work and wait calmly, the results will come in the near future.'

"We are not like that. We want to build, but at the same time we want to fight for titles. And in this moment in the Premier League we are there, two points behind the leader in a group that is there."

Whether Chelsea do assume pole position by Christmas is not significant, according to the Portuguese.

"In this league, to be top of the league by December or even by the end of January, I don't think is crucial. I think this will be open until very, very late.

"Every game is very hard. The distances [between clubs in the table] they open and they close, they open, they close.

"Of course we go there to try to win and we go there with the objective of being top of the league, but if we don't, I don't think it's crucial."

Mourinho added: "I was expecting an easy victory; I was expecting big problems. I was ready for both things.

"When I was reading the game and analysing the situation I was feeling the game could go in both directions.

"You score a goal that kills the opponent, 2-0 or 3-1, the game is over and you can go to a different result. When you don't do that, I knew they were a team who would give problems. For me, this result could be 5-1, could be 2-2."

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