Potter understands Chelsea fans' 'anger and frustration' after defeat to Aston Villa

Blues drop into the bottom half in the Premier League following a 2-0 loss at Stamford Bridge

Graham Potter said Chelsea were 'second best in both boxes' in the 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa. Reuters

Chelsea manager Graham Potter said he understood why the club's fans are "frustrated, disappointed and angry" after the season hit a new low with a 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa.

Potter, appointed to replace sacked Champions League-winning manager Thomas Tuchel last September, has been under increasing pressure amid a season which has now, following Saturday's defeat to Stamford Bridge, seen Chelsea drop into the bottom half in the Premier League.

The Blues appeared to be turning a corner with three straight wins, including beating Borussia Dortmund to reach the Champions League quarter-finals, but a 2-2 draw with struggling Everton prior to the international break and this loss to Villa, who moved above the hosts into 10th in the standings, has placed the spotlight back on Potter.

Boos and jeers rang around Stamford Bridge at full time as goals in each half from Ollie Watkins and John McGinn secured victory for the visitors, while once again Chelsea dominated possession and created several chances but failed to score. By comparison, Villa scored with both of their shots on target.

"I understand when you lose at home that people will be frustrated, disappointed and angry," Potter said. "No one is happy with where we are in the league table and we have to work hard to improve that.

"It’s an emotional game and I can certainly understand the frustrations after a home defeat."

Assessing what went wrong for his side in their 10th league defeat of the season, Potter believes a lack of quality in front of goal and in key moments defensively proved the difference. A defensive mix-up between Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly led directly to Watkins' opener, while at the other end Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix, and substitute N'Golo Kane all had chances to score.

"In both boxes we were second best," Potter said. "The first goal for them is disappointing and we need to do better. There were a lot of good things in the game, a lot of attacking play, entries and a lot of shots. If you look at the stats, it was positive.

Chelsea v Aston Villa player ratings

"The boys gave everything in the game. Their intentions were there, they showed personality and tried. Ultimately, you need to defend better than we did. I am responsible for that, and we will look at it and do better.

"We started well in the second half, but then one action sees the ball back up our end and then it is a great strike from McGinn. Ultimately, the most important stat is the defeat. We have to accept it and work hard to put things right."

One major positive on an ultimately disappointing day for Chelsea was the return of midfielder Kante, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury since August.

"N’Golo is a big player for us and we thought he could run in behind," Potter said. "I thought he did well when he came on."