A tight match at Stamford Bridge was decided by a single goal, with Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes turning in a corner from close range to give the visitors a 1-0 win, and Cesar Azpilicueta admitted it was a game which was always likely to be decided by fine margins.

• Potter on what we lacked in Arsenal defeat

• Frustrated Chalobah looking for a response

• Our take on the action from a close game at the Bridge

While our captain feels it could have turned out differently if things had gone our way in those small moments that can decide games like this in the Premier League, he also concedes that the Blues could have done more to stamp our authority on the match.

‘Of course we are really disappointed with the result,’ said Azpilicueta. ‘We knew that it would be a tough one, that little details could make the difference and a set-piece went their way. So of course it is disappointing.

‘I think especially with the ball we could have created more or had a bit more control, but it’s hard to take. So we are disappointed, frustrated, because we couldn’t get that momentum where we could score

‘Little details can make a difference and the set-piece, if one of those goes in our favour things would have been in a different situation, even though we could have played better.’

The importance of those small but decisive moments was underlined by the limited number of chances for either team during the 90 minutes. There were just three shots on target in total, with Kai Havertz the sole Chelsea player who managed to test Arsenal goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.

Azpilicueta highlighted creating scoring opportunities as an area we must improve, but insisted that is not solely the responsibility of our forward players, as it is a team game at both ends of the pitch.

‘We are a team,’ he added. ‘I think when we don’t create enough chances or we don’t get in good positions, we have to look as a team where or how we can get the ball in the right positions, so that the attacking players can create chances.

‘Defensively it’s the same, how we can defend together, so it’s not about only the attacking players when we are attacking, although of course there are differences and you have extra responsibilities.’

It had been suggested that one factor at play at Stamford Bridge on Sunday was the different stages of progress of the two teams, with Arsenal in impressive form and topping the Premier League table in their fourth season under Mikel Arteta.

In contrast, Graham Potter is still fine-tuning his system after joining Chelsea as head coach in September, with this result meaning he has suffered consecutive defeats in the league, having not lost in any competition prior to last week’s loss at Brighton.

However, Azpilicueta refuses to accept that, believing the team need to come together as a collective to improve performances and results as quickly as possible.

‘They have been working together for longer, that’s true, but at Chelsea the demand is always high,’ explained the Blues skipper. ‘We have to go in every single game for everything.

‘It is true that we were not going into the game in the best moment in terms of performances, in terms of position in the table. They were in a better moment, but once you step out onto the pitch it’s a London derby, everything has to stay there.

‘I think we need to look at ourselves because we are not in the position where we want to be, in terms of everything I think – goals scored, goals conceded, the way we play, the performances. This is a collective issue that we have to address.’