Thomas Tuchel acknowledged Edouard Mendy's "huge" error cost Chelsea dearly after the 10-man Blues slipped to a demoralising 3-0 loss at Leeds United.
Mendy inexplicably allowed Brenden Aaronson to steal possession on the edge of the six-yard box and poke Leeds into a 33rd-minute lead.
Further goals from Rodrigo and Jack Harrison helped the hosts claim their first win over Chelsea since December 2002.
Kalidou Koulibaly was then sent off after picking up a second booking as Chelsea's miserable outing drew to a close. It was the defender's sixth league dismissal since the start of the 2017-18 season – more than any other player in the top five European leagues.
But it was Mendy's dismal mistake which put Chelsea on the back foot, and Tuchel did not hide his frustration with the Senegal goalkeeper after the match.
Asked whether he would discuss the incident with Mendy, Tuchel said: "He knows himself. With these kinds of mistakes, I don't think we need to speak a lot.
"He knows himself that this was a mistake and honestly, this has nothing to do with protection or no protection.
"Everybody in the world sees the mistake, it's a huge mistake in a crucial time of the match. It does not help and he's the one that is the most disappointed because it cost us a lot today."
Speaking to Sky Sports, former Manchester City and Newcastle United goalkeeper Shay Given was equally critical of Mendy's decision-making, saying: "He just has a really poor first touch and his head's a bit scrambled at that point. Worst case, kick it out for a corner, just don't do what you do.
"The only thing I would say in Edouard Mendy's defence, not too many Chelsea defenders have run into a position to receive the ball from him.
"But it's still a terrible mistake from Mendy, he knows he has to clear his lines. It's a poor, poor goal to give away."
The defeat at Elland Road represents another blow for Chelsea, who conceded a last-gasp equaliser against London rivals Tottenham in their previous match.
Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana has been strongly linked with the Blues as Tuchel bids to strengthen his defence, but the Chelsea boss insists his existing squad should be performing better.
"We need to wait. The transfer period is still open. It gets later and later and we need to focus on what we have and what we can do," Tuchel said.
"We can obviously play at a high level, but we lost track when there was no need. We were not forced to lose track. Everything was going well.
"We can win with this team in Leeds, everything was going well and we had goalscoring opportunities. It went the other way and I think it was more our fault than anyone else's credit."
While a defensive addition remains an aim, Tuchel was dismissive when asked whether Chelsea could target a new midfielder, responding: "Another midfielder? We have Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, we have Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher, Mateo Kovacic.
"They [Kovacic and Kane] are injured, yes, it's a problem. But they will come back. They've not disappeared."
Chelsea host Leicester City in their next Premier League game on Saturday, having claimed four points from their three outings this season.
Ederson to miss Man City's final two games of season
Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson will miss the final two games of the season due to a fractured eye socket.
The Citizens face West Ham on Sunday as they aim to win a fourth consecutive Premier League title, before taking on rivals Manchester United in the FA Cup final on May 25.
The goalkeeper was involved in a heavy collision with Cristian Romero in their 2-0 win over Tottenham on Tuesday, with the goalkeeper initially allowed to continue after receiving treatment before being replaced by Stefan Ortega.
City revealed Ederson has since undergone scans which revealed a small fracture to the right eye socket, forcing him out of their last two games of the season.
Nagelsmann announces Germany's provisional Euro 2024 squad
Julian Nagelsmann has named a 27-man provisional squad for hosts Germany ahead of Euro 2024.
The biggest surprise in the squad was the inclusion of a fourth goalkeeper, as Stuttgart goalkeeper Alexander Nubel received his first senior call-up.
Mats Hummels is one of the big names left out despite helping Borussia Dortmund on their way to the Champions League final, while Bayern Munich’s Leon Goretzka is also absent once more.
Julian Brandt, Niklas Sule and Karim Adeyemi miss out on a place in the tournament, while Serge Gnabry and Timo Werner are both out through injury.
After winning just one of his first four games in charge, Nagelsmann changed things in March and was rewarded with back-to-back victories.
Nico Schlotterbeck won 71 per cent of his tackles in the Bundesliga - the highest figure in Europe's big-five leagues this season (at least 70 tackles), and is back in the national squad for the first time since September.
Aleksandar Pavlovic missed the March friendlies due to injury but is a welcome recall - Bayern have an 83.3 per cent win ratio with Pavlovic in their team in the Bundesliga this season, but that drops to 53.3 per cent when he is not in the side.
Schlotterbeck, Niclas Fullkrug, Toni Kroos and Antonio Rudiger will all link up with the squad late due to their involvement in the Champions League final.
The final 26-man squad must be submitted on June 7, meaning at least one player will be dropped before the start of the tournament.
As the tournament hosts, Germany begin their Euro 2024 campaign in the opening game against Scotland on June 14.
Germany squad
Goalkeepers: Oliver Baumann (Hoffenheim), Manuel Neuer (Bayern Munich), Alexander Nubel (Stuttgart), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Barcelona)
Defenders: Waldemar Anton (Stuttgart), Benjamin Henrichs (RB Leipzig), Joshua Kimmich (Bayern Munich), Robin Koch (Eintracht Frankfurt), Maximilian Mittelstadt (Stuttgart), David Raum (RB Leipzig), Antonio Rudiger (Real Madrid), Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund), Jonathan Tah (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Robert Andrich (Bayer Leverkusen), Chris Fuhruch (Stuttgart), Pascal Gross (Brighton), Ilkay Gundogan (Barcelona), Toni Kroos (Real Madrid), Jamal Musiala (Bayern Munich), Aleksandar Pavlovic (Bayern Munich), Leroy Sane (Bayern Munich), Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen)
Forwards: Maximilian Beier (Hoffenheim), Niclas Fullkrug (Borussia Dortmund), Kai Havertz (Arsenal), Thomas Muller (Bayern Munich), Denis Undav (Stuttgart)
Chelsea players want to fight for Pochettino, says Palmer
Cole Palmer says the Chelsea players want to fight for Mauricio Pochettino, and credits him for Chelsea’s late challenge for a European spot this season.
There has been speculation in recent weeks that Pochettino may not remain Chelsea manager after the end of the season, despite their strong run of form.
Chelsea moved sixth in the Premier League table after holding on to beat Brighton 2-1 on Wednesday with 10 men after Reece James’ late sending-off thanks to goals from Palmer and Christopher Nkunku.
Palmer has proven instrumental for Chelsea in his debut season, scoring 22 goals in the league, but the youngster was quick to move the focus to Pochettino’s work.
"For it to be in our hands to get sixth place is a big thing for us," Palmer told BBC Sport.
"Chelsea are a big club and everyone wants to finish higher than sixth, but you have to look at where we were at the start of the season.
"All credit to the manager. All the players love the manager and want to fight for him."
Chelsea have lost just one of their last 13 Premier League matches, winning each of the last four, meaning they only need to avoid defeat against Bournemouth on Sunday to claim a top-six finish.
Pochettino was full of praise for how his side saw out the win against Brighton, saying: "So happy for the players, they deserve the full credit for the way that we worked, our approach to the game and the way we tried to apply all of the work we were doing on the training ground.
"I am proud. To face a team like Brighton is always difficult here. We are so happy because the three points mean we are closer to achieving what we want."
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