Chelsea head coach Graham Potter has acknowledged that there is currently 'a clear difference' between his side and Premier League leaders Arsenal.
The Blues went into Sunday's London derby at Stamford Bridge trailing one of their fierce rivals by 10 points and sitting down in seventh position in the table.
Although Potter would have hoped that his players would raise their performance levels when faced with one of their toughest matches of the season, they were clear second best to Mikel Arteta's team.
The game was ultimately decided by a set piece, Gabriel Magalhaes on hand to convert into the roof of the net from on the goalline after an inswinging Bukayo Saka corner had evaded everyone.
Throughout the entire 90 minutes, Chelsea failed to force goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale into a notable save, while former Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was withdrawn shortly after the hour mark.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Potter admitted that his players could have few complaints about the 1-0 defeat, although insisted that being at the start of 'a process' should be taken into consideration.
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At a press conference, the Englishman said: "We huffed and puffed but I think you could see the difference between the teams in confidence and structure.
"In the end, as much as it is not nice to say, Arsenal deserved to win the game overall. So we have to take that and use it as motivation to improve.
"Clearly confidence is higher. They've got the points, a really good start and have been working for three years or so.
"We're at the start of the process and have had some injuries to key players they've managed to stay clear off."
Chelsea now have two matches remaining before the start of the World Cup, beginning with a trip to face Manchester City in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening.
Potter then takes his team to the North-East to face in-form Newcastle United, who sit clear of Chelsea in the top four of the standings.
Darren Plant
