Carlo Ancelotti: Chelsea are too easy to score against

Chelsea's 4-2 defeat at home against Manchester City on Saturday was their heaviest loss at Stamford Bridge since Roman Abramovich bought the club in 2003 and it left their title hopes firmly in the balance.

Chelsea are on course for their worst defensive record in the top flight since they leaked 38 goals in the 2002-03 season and Ancelotti has warned his players they must improve if they want to be crowned champions for the first time since 2006.

The Italian said: "We concede too many goals. It was very difficult to score goals at our home before but now it's more easy.

"We have to stay more focused on our defending and work together to defend. Sometimes the defenders are not having good cover, so we have to improve this."

Chelsea have already conceded 26 goals in 28 games during this campaign, which compares poorly with their first title-winning season under Jose Mourinho five years ago, when the opposition scored just 15 times all season.

With Chelsea now only one point ahead of Manchester United and three clear of Arsenal, the form of central defenders John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho has become a cause for concern in west London.

Back-up goalkeeper Hilario is also a major worry, having crumbled under the pressure of standing in for Petr Cech, who won't return until the end of the month.

The club face a testing few weeks, with a FA Cup quarter-final against Stoke on Sunday as well as the second leg of the Champions League tie against Inter Milan on 16 March — a game they must win to progress to the last eight of Europe's premier competition.

Ancelotti was also critical of Chelsea's wastefulness in front of goal against City.

"We had 25 shots against five, this means we had good control of the game but without balance.

"But there is no time to be angry. We are not happy but we must look forward. Now there are international games and we have to prepare well when the players come back.

"It's not bad to have this international break. It's better to forget this game immediately and we will still have time to prepare because we play on Sunday.

"We have to have a good reaction against Stoke but we are still top of the list. We still have more of a chance to win the title. It is only one point but it is still one point more than Manchester United."

Chelsea's poor run, which has seen them pick up just seven points from five games, has coincided with the furore surrounding Terry's behaviour off the field and his affair with the ex-girlfriend of former club-mate, Wayne Bridge.

After initially seeming to thrive under the spotlight, the former England captain has made key errors in recent defeats by Everton, Inter Milan and now Manchester City, which saw him snubbed by Bridge when the two sides met to shake hands on the pitch before kick-off.

Ancelotti remains adamant the situation is not to blame for the team's demise and said: "No, the team have not lost focus. We never spoke about this situation and it didn't influence anything.

"It's not been hard for me to deal with as I'm not involved. I don't have time to think about these things."