Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino has acknowledged that his side were "really bad" during their 5-0 defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday night.
The Blues went into the Premier League encounter at the Emirates Stadium having performed admirably during a 1-0 loss to Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-finals on Saturday.
However, Pochettino witnessed his side fall behind to their London rivals in just four minutes and Chelsea never recovered, despite reaching half time trailing by just the solitary goal.
After Leandro Trossard had scored that strike, Ben White and Kai Havertz each netted a double apiece in the second half, with all of their goals coming in the space of 18 minutes of each other.
While Arsenal have strengthened their position at the top of the standings, Chelsea have been left to find a response to their most humbling defeat during Pochettino's reign.
© Reuters
What did Pochettino have to say?
Although Pochettino has sometimes chosen to speak with optimism about the development of his Chelsea squad, the Argentine was less forthcoming with positive words on this occasion.
Speaking to reporters, as quoted by football.london, Pochettino said: "Disappointed. Really bad. The performance wasn't good. We didn't start the game in the way we were supposed to start.
"We made things easy for Arsenal. After 10-15 minutes, after we concede, we started to play a little bit and create some chances. We were talking at half time that it is impossible to start a game like this."
He added: "It's difficult to talk. We are talking after last season in the same way. We put in a fantastic performance at Wembley and then today, you can lose a game at Arsenal but in the way we competed, why one day, three days ago and then today in this way?
"For the circumstance, we needed to make changes for different reasons. Then it is about consistency."
© Reuters
Pochettino reiterates frustration over inconsistency
"We are showing this inconsistency and that is why we are where we are. We are able to have an amazing performance [against Man City] and then one like this. When we have bad days, we are so bad."
The margin of Chelsea's defeat has brought them back into line with the goal difference of some of the teams around them - Pochettino's side now hold just a +2 advantage over 10th-placed Brighton & Hove Albion as well as three points.
Chelsea continue to hold two matches in hand on eighth-placed West Ham United, who hold a one-point advantage, while sixth-placed Newcastle United are three points ahead having played the same amount of games.
Pochettino next takes his side to the West Midlands to square off against Aston Villa on Saturday night - Chelsea having already won at Villa Park in the FA Cup in February.
Darren Plant
