Conor Gallagher insistent that Chelsea effort levels are there despite derby mauling at Arsenal

Chelsea captain Conor Gallagher has claimed there was no lack of graft in Tuesday night’s humbling at Arsenal.

The Blues were swatted aside in north London with their former striker Kai Havertz scoring twice for the hosts as they cruised to a 5-0 victory.

It has been a miserable week for Mauricio Pochettino’s inconsistent charges, who also saw their FA Cup final dreams ended as they lost 1-0 to Manchester City at Wembley on Saturday.

The humiliation against Arsenal was Chelsea’s heaviest derby defeat since 1986, when they lost 6-0 to QPR. They have conceded 57 goals in the Premier League – their most in a single campaign.

Gallagher was forced to endure post-match media duties and defended the desire of the Chelsea players.

“We definitely are putting the effort in,” the former Charlton loanee told TNT Sports. “I know how much it means to all the boys.

“It is a very young squad with not much experience as a team in the Premier League. We have had a lot of ups and a lot of downs as well – we are still improving and working together as a team to get to that next level.

“Today (Tuesday) was one of those days where we just were nowhere near it and we need to dust ourselves off but also look at the performance – where we can improve and all the mistakes we made, put them right, then get ready for the next one.”

Pochettino was far less generous in his appraisal of the evening’s work by the Blues at The Emirates Stadium – saying they “gave up”. He said: “Everyone saw we didn’t compete from the beginning of the game.

“After we conceded the team was so soft. I’m so disappointed with the start because we’re supposed to have full energy and compete better.

“We were not aggressive and we did not concentrate on situations where it is easy to find the solution. That is why I’m so disappointed.

“When we conceded the third goal the team gave up. It was tough on them.

“We competed really well against Manchester City, it was a fantastic game. But then we did not compete three days later. Maybe we were not fresh.

“It’s not fair to talk about the players we are missing. From the start of the season we have been missing so many players every single week. The team showed a lack of capacity to resist – that is what is the problem.”

PICTURE: KEITH GILLARD