Chelsea manager Graham Potter said he understood why the club's fans are "frustrated, disappointed and angry" after the season hit a new low with a 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa.
Potter, appointed to replace sacked Champions League-winning manager Thomas Tuchel last September, has been under increasing pressure amid a season which has now, following Saturday's defeat to Stamford Bridge, seen Chelsea drop into the bottom half in the Premier League.
The Blues appeared to be turning a corner with three straight wins, including beating Borussia Dortmund to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, but a 2-2 draw with struggling Everton prior to the international break and this loss to Villa, who moved above the hosts into 10th in the standings, has placed the spotlight back on Potter.
Boos and jeers rang around Stamford Bridge at full time as goals in each half from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn secured victory for the visitors, while once again Chelsea dominated possession and created several chances but failed to score. By comparison, Villa scored with both of their shots on target.
"I understand when you lose at home that people will be frustrated, disappointed and angry," Potter said. "No one is happy with where we are in the league table and we have to work hard to improve that.
"It’s an emotional game and I can certainly understand the frustrations after a home defeat."
Assessing what went wrong for his side in their 10th league defeat of the season, Potter believes a lack of quality in front of goal and in key moments defensively proved the difference. A defensive mix-up between Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly led directly to Watkins' opener, while at the other end Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix, and substitute N'Golo Kane all had chances to score.
"In both boxes we were second best," Potter said. "The first goal for them is disappointing and we need to do better. There were a lot of good things in the game, a lot of attacking play, entries and a lot of shots. If you look at the stats, it was positive.
Chelsea v Aston Villa player ratings
-
CHELSEA PLAYER RATINGS: Kepa Arrizabalaga - 6. Had nothing to do apart from picking the ball out of his own net twice. Can’t be faulted for either of the goals. Getty -
Kalidou Koulibaly - 6. Showed great stamina to outmuscle Ramsey off the ball as he tried to run through on goal in the 31st minute. Made a number of clearances in the second half but looked shaky against Bailey late on. Reuters -
Reece James - 6. Did well to track Ramsey and deny him the chance to play Watkins through on goal in the 27th minute. Made a crucial header to deny Watkins the chance to run through on goal in the 65th minute. AFP -
Marc Cucurella - 4. An ill-judged header played Watkins through on goal to open the scoring. Showed good composure to find Felix in the box with a sideways pass despite pressure from Aston Villa's defenders. Reuters -
Enzo Fernandez - 6. Pinched the ball off Kamara to set up Mudryk for an early attempt at goal. Played a beautiful cross for Chilwell to head home but the goal was disallowed for a foul. AFP -
Mateo Kovacic - 6. Blazed his shot high and wide in the second minute. Played Mudryk through a goal with a perfectly weighted pass in the 32nd minute. Reuters -
Ben Chilwell - 7. Unlucky to see his shot come off the frame of goal in the 35th minute. Almost picked out Havertz with a first-time pass across goal in the 37th minute. Thought he had grabbed the equaliser on the stroke of halftime but the goal was cancelled out for a foul on Young. Chelsea’s standout player. AFP -
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - 5. Struggled with his role on the right-hand side of midfield. He lacked the pace to get behind Moreno and deliver crosses into the box. AFP -
Joao Felix - 6. Almost dragged Chelsea level with a shot that was saved by Martinez in the 20th minute. Unlucky to see his toe-poked shot parried by Martinez in the 61st minute. Getty -
Mykhailo Mudryk - 4. Wrongly elected to shoot instead of passing to Havertz who would have been tasked with a simple tap-in early in the game. Could only manage a tame attempt at Martinez’s goal when he was played through on goal by Kovacic. AFP -
Kai Havertz - 6. Took one touch too many when he was presented with a chance to test Martinez in the 14th minute. Saw his deflected shot saved by Martinez in the 43rd minute. AP -
SUBS: Noni Madueke (Mudryk 58’) - 6. Hit his shot high and wide when Felix found him on the edge of the box in the 62nd minute. Did well to set up Kante for a shot at goal a minute later. AFP -
N’Golo Kante (Loftus-Cheek 58’) - 6. Went close to scoring with a shot that went agonisingly wide in the 63rd minute. He added something different to a Blues attack that lacked spark after coming on. AFP -
Conor Gallagher (Kovacic 80’) - N/A. Was everywhere after coming on but couldn’t help the Blues reduce the deficit. EPA -
Christian Pulisic (Cucurella 80’) - N/A. His cross-shot almost caught Martinez out in the 90th minute. AFP -
ASTON VILLA PLAYER RATINGS: Emiliano Martinez - 8. Almost cost his team a goal when he played a shot pass to Kamara that was seized upon by Mudryk but he made amends by making the save. Made another superb stop to deny Felix in the 21st minute. AFP -
Ashley Young - 7. A testing game on the right-hand side for Young against Chilwell and Felix. Despite being outnumbered on a number of occasions, the experienced right-back never seemed fazed by the situation. Reuters -
Alex Moreno - 7. Dominated the left wing and kept Loftus-Cheek quiet. Found it tougher to deal with Madueke but he never shied away from his duties. AFP -
Tyrone Mings - 8. His lax pass almost cost Aston Villa a goal in the 14th minute. His aerial presence was crucial in the second half as he repeatedly won headers in his penalty area. Getty -
Ezri Konsa - 8. Made a last-ditch tackle to deny Havertz the chance to have a shot at goal in the 14th minute. Made a double block to deny Kante in the second half. Getty -
Douglas Luiz - 7. Played the pass which Cucurella headed into the path of Watkins for Aston Villa’s opener. Sat back in the second half and helped break up several Blues attacks. AFP -
Boubacar Kamara - 6. Booked just four minutes into a game for stopping a Chelsea counterattack. Tracked back well to deny Havertz the chance of getting on the end of Loftus-Cheek’s cross in the 41st minute. Getty -
John McGinn - 9. Displayed great vision to send Watkins through on goal in the 7th minute. Doubled Aston Villa’s lead with a left-footed shot into the bottom corner. Reuters -
Jacob Ramsey - 8. A tireless performance in the first half. Ramsey was involved in almost every good attacking move by Villa. Created the second goal by playing a pass to the edge of the box which McGinn finished with aplomb. AP -
Emiliano Buendia - 7. Combined well with Ramsey and set up McGinn for a shot which came off the crossbar. Worked hard in the middle of the pitch in the second half. Reuters -
Ollie Watkins - 8. Should have at least tested Kepa when he was played through on goal by McGinn in the seventh minute. Made amends a few minutes later as he got behind the Blues backline and lobbed the ball past the helpless Kepa into the back of the net. Getty -
SUBS: Calum Chambers (Kamara 46’) - 7. Brought on in an unfamiliar midfield role, Chambers was superb as a defensive midfielder. Tracked back to block Felix’s effort at goal in the 59th minute. AP -
Leon Bailey (Buendia 76’) - N/A. A real thorn in the side of Chelsea’s defenders after coming on as they struggle to deal with his pace and trickiness. PA -
Leander Dendoncker (Luiz 87’) - N/A. PA -
Lucas Digne (Moreno 89’) - N/A. Reuters
"The boys gave everything in the game. Their intentions were there, they showed personality and tried. Ultimately, you need to defend better than we did. I am responsible for that, and we will look at it and do better.
"We started well in the second half, but then one action sees the ball back up our end and then it is a great strike from McGinn. Ultimately, the most important stat is the defeat. We have to accept it and work hard to put things right."
One major positive on an ultimately disappointing day for Chelsea was the return of midfielder Kante, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since August.
"N’Golo is a big player for us and we thought he could run in behind," Potter said. "I thought he did well when he came on."
