Pedro Neto says Chelsea "cannot take games for granted" and must "take some responsibility", following their surprise defeat by struggling Leeds United.
The Blues suffered their first loss in eight matches across all competitions, after going down 3-1 at Elland Road.
Chelsea were slow out of the blocks and Jaka Bijol and Ao Tanaka scored their first Premier League goals to give Leeds a 2-0 lead at half-time.
Neto, introduced at the break, halved the deficit within five minutes of his introduction, but sloppy play from the visitors later on allowed Dominic Calvert-Lewin to put the contest to bed.
It marked the first time the Blues had conceded three or more goals against a side starting the day in the relegation zone since a 5-2 defeat against West Brom in April 2021.
"They were better than us at everything," Neto conceded. "It's difficult to take, we have to learn from that.
"Sometimes, it happens, we had a bad day. They had more intensity, attitude, won the second balls, and had more desire than us. We cannot take games for granted.
"Of course, it hurts, it's the worst part of football. Sometimes, you can lose and say you gave everything on the pitch, but today, we have to take some responsibility, all of us."
Leeds 3-1 Chelsea
— Opta Analyst (@OptaAnalyst) December 3, 2025
Chelsea put in a disappointing performance as Leeds United end a run of four successive Premier League defeats with an important 3-1 win at Elland Road. pic.twitter.com/MVR75pRZwg
Head coach Enzo Maresca, who was at least able to hand the fit again Cole Palmer a cameo from the bench, echoed Neto's sentiment.
"A very poor night; [Leeds] deserved to win the game, they were better in all aspects," Maresca added.
"It's not about possession; in possession, you need a purpose. After the goal we scored, we had one or two clear chances, but the third goal killed the game completely, then it's much more difficult.
"It's reality, it's the Premier League; you need to perform every game, no matter if you are at home or away, or who the other team is."
Chelsea have only won 19% of their Premier League games away to Leeds United (3/16).
Among sides they have faced 10+ times away from home in the competition, only against Manchester United (18%) do they have a worse win percentage.
The Blues are now nine points behind leaders Arsenal, and they will look to bounce back when they take on Bournemouth on Saturday.