'Tell the truth' - Liam Rosenior points fingers at Chelsea players for Everton defeat

Liam Rosenior insisted Chelsea players must share some of the blame for "lapses in concentration" that the head coach believes played a big part in their 3-0 defeat to Everton on Saturday.

Chelsea suffered a back-to-back Premier League defeat, their fourth consecutive loss across all competitions, at Hill Dickinson Stadium.

It was a familiar display from this Chelsea side, who dominated possession of the ball, but still ended up losing in what seemed to be a one-sided match.

Rosenior argued that he tried to make some tactical tweaks after recent defensive problems, and claimed that it could have worked if it were not for individual mistakes from some players.

"When you watch the goal back, it's not a tactical thing," the Chelsea boss said in the post-match press conference when speaking about Everton's opening goal.

"We didn't go man for man today; we played 4-4-2.

"I thought our shape was actually very good. We controlled their possession. They didn't expect it.

"They ended up kicking the ball back to us a lot of the time, and we gained control of the game.

"Then it's a moment. A moment of switching off.

"I want to protect my players always. I always will, and I take responsibility for that lapse in concentration.

"But that's what it is. That's happened too many times recently for me not to tell the truth as it is."

In fairness, Chelsea ended the game with more big chances and higher expected goals.

That said, defence was just one of the problems for Chelsea, who barely tested Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford throughout the game.

Everton had nine shots on target compared to Chelsea's four.

It was clear that teams have started to punish Chelsea's ambitious pressing and slow build-up play, and the way Rosenior wants his team to play may increase the risk of these errors.