Reece James was crestfallen after the Blues suffered a narrow 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in the FA Cup final, with the Chelsea captain emphasising how fine margins decided the winner at Wembley.
It was a tight game under the arch in north-west London, which saw very few clear-cut chances created by either side. But it was the Cityzens who came away with the trophy after an impromptu finish from Antoine Semenyo in the final quarter-hour.
Reflecting on the 90 minutes, James felt the Blues deserved more from the game and praised our efforts and desire. But our skipper acknowledged that we lacked a cutting edge in the moments that mattered.
‘It’s disappointing to lose,’ James said. ‘If you take a step back and look at the game, not the scoreline, we matched them and went toe-to-toe. In the first half, they probably had a lot of the ball, but it wasn't really hurting us when, and then they managed to score off a half-chance in the second half.
‘I tried everything and did everything I could. Everyone in the final wants to win, whether it's the local trophy or the FA Cup. I can't question anyone's willingness or desire to win. We all wanted it. We just didn't get the rub of the green.’
James returned to the starting XI at Wembley after injury, and was deployed in midfield ahead of another Academy graduate, Levi Colwill, who made it back-to-back starts for the first time since last July. And the 26-year-old praised Colwill's performance at against Manchester City.
‘Levi is huge for the club and for the team,’ he continued. ‘He's been a big loss this season, and we’re delighted he's come back. Ever since he's been back, he's looking so strong, and he's helping us a lot.’
With two more Premier League games to come before the end of the season, a European place is still not out of the question, and Reece says that is the target. But he acknowledged that, overall, we’ve fallen short of our goals this campaign.
He added: ‘We need to rest and recover and, you know, get back on the, on the, on the training pitch and, you know, start preparing for our next game against Spurs.
‘We've underperformed this season. I would like to apologise to the fans for the lack of results. It’s been difficult. I hope that we pick it up soon.’