Manchester City midfielder David Silva knows the Citizens cannot afford to lose when they face Chelsea on Sunday.
City will be determined to get back on winning terms after last week's draw at the Emirates and the Champions League defeat against Bayern Munich in mid-week but the Blues will open an eight-point gap at the top if they beat Manuel Pellegrini's men.
"Last year we started the same and ended up winning the title so hopefully this year it will be the same, a slow start but end up winning," Silva is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
"Lots of us started late because of the World Cup and it takes time to be 100 per cent, which we are still not.
"It is a very important game, they are first and are five points ahead of us and we can't lose on Sunday and allow that gap to increase.
"It is still in the early stages and there is a long way to go and in the Premier League we know anything can happen.
"We need to win on Sunday or the gap will start to be too big - but in the Premier League you do not want to stop fighting until the last minute."
