Chelsea should not be underestimated in Premier League title race

Five things we learned

1 Blues challenge is being overlooked
Chelsea extended their unbeaten record with a comprehensive 4-0 win at Burnley and it is about time they were taken seriously in the Premier League title race.

They are still a work in progress under Maurizio Sarri but are picking up results and could improve in the second half of the season.

Burnley were swatted aside despite Chelsea being unable to call on Eden Hazard, who is recovering from a back injury.

The brilliant Belgian will need to be fit and firing for most of Chelsea's remaining 28 games but it is dangerous to write off Sarri's side, who will be prioritising Premier League points over other competitions.

Liverpool and Manchester City will probably have Champions League commitments to contend with in 2019 and need to be wary of the Blues, who are stubbornly refusing to be shaken off.

2 Hammers are in a false position
It is often said that the first ten games are a good barometer of a team's prospects but, in West Ham's case, that may not be true.

The Hammers are 13th – three points above the drop zone - but they are performing better than the teams below them and are unlikely to be dragged into a relegation scrap.

Manuel Pellegrini's side drew 1-1 at Leicester on Saturday despite Mark Noble's first-half red card and they are set to enter an easier run of matches with eight of their remaining ten league fixtures in 2018 against bottom-eight opponents.

3 Boro boo-boys have a point
Middlesbrough's fans have been getting increasingly frustrated by the dour football served up at the Riverside and voiced their disapproval on several occasions during the 1-1 draw at home to Derby.

It was a decent enough result against a strong Rams side but Boro failed to register a shot on target and relied on a comedic own goal from Jayden Bogle to snatch a fortunate point.

Previously, Boro had failed to score in three successive home games but manager Tony Pulis selected a very cautious line-up featuring five defenders and three central midfielders.

Pulis has had a decent budget to work with and may need to be a bit more adventurous if Boro are to get the wins they need to secure automatic promotion from the Sky Bet Championship.

4 Lions rediscover steely side
Solid defence was a key factor in Millwall's eighth-place finish last season and the Lions got back to basics on Saturday, keeping a first clean sheet in 12 games as they won 3-0 at home to Ipswich.

Ipswich were restricted to four shots – none of them on target – as Millwall closed out a third win in four games.

And Millwall's strong defensive showing was heavily influenced by centre-back Shaun Hutchinson, who was making his first start since recovering from a knee injury.

Hutchinson was Millwall's player of the season last term and has been sorely missed during his two-month absence.

5 Cambridge can keep climbing
League Two strugglers Cambridge are moving in the right direction after successive wins and could be worth keeping onside in the short term.

Cambridge manager Joe Dunne operates with a small squad and has not had much luck on the injury front.

However, his team have played well in recent weeks – winning the shot count in four of their last five league games – and should be more dangerous with key striker Jabo Ibehre back from injury.

Ibehre stepped off the bench to score in the 1-0 victory at home to Macclesfield and will have a key role in helping Cambridge to climb further away from danger.

Read every day for no-nonsense previews and expert sports betting tips

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport