Steve Bruce says that missed opportunities at key times did not help his side against Chelsea.
The Toon boss lost his fifth game from seven at St James' Park and Newcastle looked poor throughout a tough afternoon.
But Bruce reflected to BT Sports : "I just thought our best spell in the game was when we conceded the second.
"They had possession and had a big chance after that. We had one or two opportunities but didn't take them.
"Maybe in the first half we were a little too deep at times.
"They’re a very, very good side and like I said, when you go high up the pitch they can really hurt you
"There will always be grumbles. We had some important players missing. But Chelsea are a very good team.
"Second half there were one or two details. We had three good opportunities, and against the big teams, you’ve got to take them."
