Joao Pedro admitted he felt sorry for Chelsea supporters after Monday’s 3-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest extended their desperate run.
It was a sixth Premier League defeat in a row for the Blues for the first time since 1993 and meant it was now impossible for them to finish in the top five and qualify automatically for the Champions League.
There is also the increasing likelihood that they will struggle to finish high enough to make either of the other two European competitions, after defeat to a Forest side showing eight changes saw them drop to ninth, with a visit to Anfield to play Liverpool up next.
Chelsea went a goal down to Taiwo Awoniyi after 98 seconds as they gave the ball away at a throw-in and from there their afternoon fell apart.
“From the beginning we conceded too early which made it really difficult to turn the game around,” said Pedro. “We need to find a way not to make these mistakes every game.
“This is the Premier League. If you concede very early, it’s difficult to come back. Everyone needs to look at themselves, me included, to find a way to do better. I feel sorry for the fans. We need to see where we can improve.”
Any suggestion that last weekend’s FA Cup semi-final win over Leeds had turned around Chelsea’s season was swept away at Stamford Bridge by Forest’s second string.
Manager Vitor Pereira had an eye on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Aston Villa but the team he sent out in west London were better than their hosts in every department.
Igor Jesus scored a penalty to make it 2-0 after Malo Gusto had fouled Awoniyi, then the striker tapped in from Morgan Gibbs-White’s cross in the second half.
Pedro smashed in an overhead kick in stoppage-time which at least spared the Blues the humiliation of a sixth loss in a row without scoring for the first time in their history, drawing ironic cheers from the small number of supporters who had stayed.
There was also a missed penalty from Cole Palmer and a serious head injury to teenage debutant Jesse Derry, who required oxygen on the pitch before being taken to hospital, on an awful day for the club.
“We need to improve,” said Pedro. “Everyone needs to step up, me included. We always talk to each other to find a way to win games. Last week we beat Leeds, this week it didn’t happen. We need to find a way to be consistent.
“I think the motivation is always there. We still need to fight for every point, every game and in the end, we can see what we can achieve.”
Two-goal Forest hero Awoniyi – who is ineligible to play on Thursday – backed his team-mates to finish the job against Villa and reach the Europa League final. Forest lead 1-0 on aggregate after the first leg.
“When you look at the season and where we are now, the boys have been brilliant,” said Awoniyi. “They have come through a lot and, with the way we are going, there are just a few more games.
“Next up we have Villa, another important game. We’re taking each game as it comes and going into it with a three-point mentality. I believe we’ll go there with that mentality against Villa.”
