Chelsea have broken an unwanted club record after falling to defeat at Newcastle, with the pressure now mounting on boss Graham Potter.
A goal from Joe Willock in the second-half proved enough for the Magpies to claim all three points at St James' Park. It was a deserved win for the hosts, with the Blues barely laying a glove on Eddie Howe's men as they slipped to another disappointing loss.
Potter has won just two of his last eight games in charge, which has left Chelsea eighth in the Premier League, eight points adrift of the top four. And it is a run of form that has seen the Blues match an unwanted record that has stood for more than seven years.
The defeat at Newcastle was Chelsea's third successive defeat in the Premier League. This is the first time they've lost three top-flight games in a row since November 2015, during Jose Mourinho's final season as Blues boss.
Chelsea were beaten by West Ham, Liverpool and Stoke City before they finally defeated Norwich to snap that spell of bad form. That did not spark a change in form though, with Mourinho sacked three games later after falling to defeat at Leicester City.
Potter has now become the first Chelsea manager to match that record since Mourinho's time in charge. The Englishman has seen his side hammered at Brighton, narrowly lose to Arsenal and fall to defeat at Newcastle in their last three games.
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The defeat in the North East also means that Chelsea still have not beaten any of the teams currently in the top seven of the table. The pressure is now mounting on Potter to turn his side's fortunes around, something he is confident he can do.
"It was a tough game for us. You could see the two teams' different schedules, Newcastle with one game a week and us after a six-week period with a lot of matches. It probably took its toll," he said.
"The boys gave a lot but we lacked a bit of quality. There were too many unforced errors. When we tried to play we got through a couple of times, but there wasn’t enough quality. In a game of not too many chances, they get the winner, and as much as we push at the end, it wasn’t enough.
"It doesn’t make it any easier, also playing against a team in a really good moment and playing with huge intensity. It’s been tough. We’re not in a great moment. We have to lick our wounds.
"We have a break now so we have to refocus, re-energise and hopefully get some players back. It’s been an incredibly intense period. You have to accept the struggles you’ve had and then move forward. It’s a change of scenery, a change of focus and when everyone comes back we can start again."
Like the rest of the Premier League, Chelsea will now have a break of more than a month while the World Cup is held in Qatar. Their first game back will be a visit from Bournemouth the day after Boxing Day.
