Ronald Koeman conceded that Chelsea were a class above his Everton side in Saturday's 5-0 battering at Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea moved top of the Premier League after running roughshod against the sorry Toffees with the impressive Eden Hazard scoring a brace, while Marcos Alonso, Diego Costa and Pedro were also on target in a ruthless attacking display.
Everton manager Koeman had no complaints about the outcome and tipped Antonio Conte's men to be in the running for the title come the end of the season.
"Yes, I think [they will be title contenders]," he said. "It's a difficult system to play against.
"The big difference with Chelsea is they have that winning mentality. Not only that mentality, but the quality on the ball, with players like Hazard, Oscar, [Nemanja] Matic, [N'Golo] Kante.
"They are really strong. They were too strong for Everton."
Koeman, though, is adamant that his players' efforts should not be questioned despite the heavy defeat.
"Maybe it looked like they were more aggressive, but they were more confident as well after the first and second goals," he said.
"That was the difference. It looks like we don't run, but you have to accept that, sometimes in life, your opponent is by far the better team. That was what happened."
