Pochettino said it was their worst performance of the season and was furious

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was "angry and disappointed" with his side's 4-1 defeat away to Newcastle United .

The visitors were level at half-time but collapsed in the second half, conceding three goals and having captain Reece James sent off.

After inspiring performances against Tottenham and Manchester City, Pochettino felt Chelsea were "soft on every challenge" at St James' Park.

Pochettino said: "We have not shown that we are fighting for what is important. Even if Newcastle United do not perform well, they are preparing to face the Champions League easily. We have to show that it is difficult for them to play and win. It’s hard, it’s hard to beat us.”

"But the way we conceded goals and were so weak in every challenge made me angry and disappointed. We talk about we are a young team and we have to learn, but I think this kind of game makes me angry and disappointed. I feel very, very, very, very angry because it's about showing your personality and your character.

"Well, we're young as a team, but we can't lose the opportunity to show our best."

More than a third of the way through the quarter in England's top flight, a fifth defeat of the season leaves Chelsea in 10th place and already under pressure to qualify for the Champions League.

"This is our worst performance of the season. It's really hard to sit in the stands," added Pochettino, who was watching from the bench as head coach due to suspension.

"We can't complain about the result, we didn't understand the game from the beginning."

"We can't blame the players, it's the responsibility of the whole team. We need to understand the level we need to compete at and learn from this situation."

"There are a lot of details, a lot of things that build confidence and strength. We already know what happened and we're going to do our best to change that dynamic."