Former Chelsea full-back Ashley Cole has criticised the Blues' defence following their 3-2 defeat against West Ham at the London Stadium on Wednesday evening.
Defeat saw Frank Lampard's side miss the chance to bolster their push for a top-four finish and Champions League football next season.
Cole was frustrated with the defensive performance, particularly for Andriy Yarmolenko's winning goal, identifying the errors that Marcos Alonso, Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.
“I think they’re gonna be disappointed. Things I hate about full-backs are that they’re happy to run forward and not track. I get they’re pushing for it, the last five minutes of the game, but you need a point here - a point would’ve been okay for Chelsea," he told Sky Sports.
"Alonso, could he have recovered quicker? Could he have gotten back? Could he have run back with the intensity he did when running forward? Probably, yes. Could he anticipate it a little bit earlier? Yes.
"Rudiger, it’s difficult when you’re playing against a left-footer and he pops inside. He’s tried to move his feet, he’s probably thought, ‘I’m gonna try and get a block in’.
"It’s a great finish. As units, as players, you’ve got to want to work and not be happy to be beat. I think Alonso needs to run back quicker.
“I think Chelsea had four players back. Antonio does so well to hold it up. Maybe Christensen could’ve gone with him, dropped off. Rudiger could’ve maybe looked on his left shoulder, seen Yarmolenko running, maybe he could’ve dropped off quicker.
"They’ve reacted too late. Yes, you’re pushing. But first and foremost, you’ve got to defend."
