Lacroix insists Chelsea deserved more after painful Arsenal defeat

Chelsea defender Maxence Lacroix believes the Blues deserved at least a point from their 2-1 Premier League defeat to Arsenal, insisting the team's performance at the Emirates Stadium showed encouraging signs despite the disappointing result.

The London derby ended with Mikel Arteta's side completing a comeback victory to maintain their perfect start to the season, but Lacroix feels Chelsea's display warranted a better reward.

The French centre-back pointed to the team's resilience, attacking intent and late pressure as evidence that Chelsea can take positives from a frustrating afternoon.

Lacroix admitted the defeat was difficult to accept but praised his teammates for competing strongly against the reigning champions.

“We are a little bit unhappy, of course, after losing, but I believe that we did well, to be honest. It's not easy to play there, but we did well,” Lacroix told Chelsea's official website.

The defender acknowledged there are still areas for improvement but insisted Chelsea's overall display should give the squad confidence moving forward.

Rather than dwelling on the setback, Lacroix said the Blues must use the experience as motivation for the matches ahead.

“We accept the loss, but we want to learn from it. We showed that we also had good actions and good attacks, so the defeat hurts a little bit. We gave our best,” he said.

The defeat leaves Chelsea fourth in the Premier League standings, three points behind leaders Arsenal after three matches.