Rudiger lays into Chelsea flops after ‘unacceptable and dangerous’ Everton loss
German defender admits the team has failed to learn their lessons as they lost ground in the top-four race
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ANTONIO RUDIGER has ripped into "passive" Chelsea for putting their top four chances in jeopardy.
Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Everton means they are now three points off the Champions League places after blowing their game in hand on their main rivals.
German defender Rudiger, 26, admits the team has failed to learn the lessons of recent matches and that time is running out to claim an all-important top-four place.
He said: “We played a good first half, and we could have scored one or two, but we didn’t. The way we approached the second half is not acceptable. We were passive, and if you are passive against any opponent in this league, it’s dangerous.
"It was like the same game against Wolves, just this time we lost.”
It’s unacceptable the way we came out, and we lost the game in 10 minutes
Antonio Rudiger
What made it harder to take for Chelsea is that they enjoyed a staggering 89 per cent of possession in the first half at Goodison Park and hit the post through Eden Hazard - only to collapse in the second half.
Away form is particularly worrying for Chelsea as they have now four of the last five Premier League games on their travels.
Winning the Europa League is another way to gain entry to the money-spinning Champions League next season but it is also risky as the Blues reach the business end of the tournament with tougher teams to face.
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Rudiger admits the clock is ticking on Chelsea’s chances of catching Arsenal in fourth-place.
He added: “It’s unacceptable the way we came out, and we lost the game in 10 minutes.
“We still have eight games to go, but we cannot always say ‘next week, next week, next week’. We really have to do better, definitely, because we were not allowed to lose this match.”