Former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino has admitted that it felt as though the Blues were playing with just nine men on the field during Saturday evening's 1-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park.
Having arrived on Merseyside boasting a 14-game unbeaten run in all competitions, as well as having the opportunity to go top of the Premier League table, many thought that Frank Lampard's side would continue their excellent run of form and get the better of the stuttering Toffees.
However, Chelsea, who were without both Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic, produced an uncharacteristic performance, as a first half penalty from Gyfli Sigurdsson sealed all three points for Carlo Ancelotti's troops.
Despite being without the likes of Ziyech and Pulisic, Chelsea still had Timo Werner and Kai Havertz to call upon. Nevetheless, Chelsea struggled to carve out too many meaningful opportunities, with Cascarino picking out Werner and Havertz for criticism.
"Timo Werner is struggling and hasn't scored in six now," Cascarino told talkSPORT. "I saw him against Rennes and I thought he was really poor.
"Look, he is devastatingly quick and he has got a goal record, and I expect him to get one at Chelsea.
"Kai Havertz found it really difficult yesterday, he was on the fringe of the game. He is another really talented player.
"At times, it felt like they were playing with nine men. I don't mean that they weren't putting any effort in, but they just didn't make anything happen. With that, Giroud didn't get any service.
"Everton, I thought, handled the game brilliantly, and Ancelotti showed what he is - a very experienced manager.
Though Chelsea struggled to make things happen, credit must be given to Everton, who produced a spirited performance to claim all three points.
And for Cascarino, midfield duo Allan and Abdoulaye Doucoure deserve plenty of plaudits.
"Allan and Doucoure, yesterday, were superb," he added. "I thought they marshalled it really well and they knew that they had to do a job because Chelsea are dangerous.
"They have, in recent weeks, shown how good they can be offensively."
