Tuchel takes blame for loss after making seven changes

LONDON • Thomas Tuchel admitted Chelsea face a "big fight" to finish in the Premier League's top four after their damaging 1-0 defeat by Arsenal on Wednesday.

The Blues missed a chance to climb above Leicester into third place as Gunners midfielder Emile Smith Rowe bagged the first-half winner at Stamford Bridge.

The 20-year-old punished a wayward back-pass from Jorginho to leave Tuchel anticipating a tense finish in the race to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Fourth-placed Chelsea are two points behind Leicester (66) and six ahead of West Ham, who have a game in hand, and seven in front of Liverpool, who were set to play one of their two games in hand this morning (Singapore time) against Manchester United.

Tuchel's men have two league matches remaining against Leicester and Aston Villa and the Chelsea boss said: "It was always a big fight, it never felt like a relief.

"If anybody felt it like this today, maybe, it's the last lesson to learn.

"We weren't on the pitch with the same energy. We weren't sharp enough and didn't have the same hunger and attitude as we're used to playing with. So it's on us.

"But it's still in our hands. It is another chance missed. We have had some good results, so we have to cope now with a loss."

He conceded he was to blame for Chelsea's first defeat in eight games in all competitions after he made seven changes from Saturday's win at Manchester City.

"Maybe I gave some signals to the team with changes that Saturday is on my mind," he said in reference to tomorrow's FA Cup final against Leicester. The Blues also have a Champions League final to come against City.

"Even if it's 1 per cent or 5 per cent, this is not how we approach things, because you get punished. It's hard to swallow, hard to accept, but there's no other way."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted the Gunners' first Stamford Bridge win in a decade was much needed after a difficult period.

The Spaniard has been under fire during a troubled campaign, but he insisted his side have not given up hope of qualifying for Europe.

The Gunners, who are on 55 points, could make the new Europa Conference League, which is the third-tier European club competition. Winners of that 184-team tournament next season will qualify automatically for the 2022-23 Europa League group stage, unless they qualify for the Champions League group stage.

"Nothing is broken inside. They (the media) try to put things on me that I never said," Arteta said.

"I said if I don't get 120 per cent off each player, it's my fault and responsibility. It wasn't like this in the press. I'm so annoyed by that.

"They can try but they're not going to break it. The players showed how much spirit and attitude there is in the group, and how much they care about it."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS