Xabi Alonso has admitted that he was left furious with Chelsea's poor performance in the 1-0 defeat to Sunderland.
The Blues travelled to the Stadium of Light with the opportunity to move to within two points of Manchester City in the Premier League table.
Instead, Chelsea lost to a first-half Enzo Le Fee penalty in a game where they failed to create regular opportunities.
Although Morgan Rogers and Danny Welbeck squandered headed chances, the West Londoners could have no complaints with the outcome in the North-East.
Addressing the media at his post-match press conference, that was an opinion shared by Alonso.
Enzo Le Fee dispatches the penalty as Sunderland take the lead against Chelsea! ?⚪️ https://t.co/cCtYsHVWB9
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 8, 2026
Alonso reacts to poor Chelsea performance in Sunderland defeat
Alonso agreed with the consensus that Chelsea were too slow with the ball and did not assert enough pressure on their opponents.
The Spaniard told reporters: "It wasn't the best one. I think that we didn't deserve more than probably one point.
"The game was really close. Not much happened, to be honest. Just that action. We had the cross from Morgan, but we didn't produce enough to deserve to win.
"We were in the low block. We missed a bit of patience, a bit of quality, creativity on the last third to create more chances. You need to be more consistent. We didn't do good enough."
When asked if Chelsea had been "bullied" by Sunderland, he replied: "No, no, not bullied. I would say that it was a situation that we could have defended better.
"A situation that we could have got better advantages in attack. But the game was really competitive. They were waiting for a chance. They got it after the lead.
"We were trying, but we were not producing much. The first goal was so important.Being behind, we didn't produce enough."
What next for Chelsea?
Chelsea head into the November international break sitting in fifth place in the Premier League standings.
However, not only are they six points adrift of second-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, they have lost four of 10 top-flight fixtures.
Furthermore, across a four-game period against Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Manchester United and Sunderland, Chelsea have scored just one goal from open play.
Like in September, there is a strong argument that the enforced break has come at the right time for Alonso.