The trademark arched left eyebrow conveyed a sense of surprise, and the little chuckle a degree of amusement. So can Everton realistically be considered Premier League title contenders after moving up to second ahead of Monday's clash with Manchester City at Goodison Park?
‘No, realistically not!’ replied Carlo Ancelotti with a smile. ‘There is a lot of competition in the Premier League. We are happy to be second now but our target is to play in Europe and that hasn’t changed.’
And beating City would not alter the Everton manager’s point of view?