Head coach Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he wants his Chelsea players to hurt after Sunday's EFL Cup final against Liverpool.
The showpiece at Wembley Stadium appeared to be heading for extra time until Virgil van Dijk scored a 118th-minute header to break the heart of the Blues in extra time.
Earlier in the final, Liverpool felt aggrieved having had another Van Dijk chalked off for Wataru Endo blocking Levi Colwill from an offside position.
Cody Gakpo also hit the post with a first-half header, but Chelsea had an array of their own chances, with Conor Gallagher hitting the post and squandering other opportunities.
A goalmouth scramble towards the end of normal time also somehow failed to find the back of Liverpool's net on what was a frustrating occasion for the West Londoners.
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Speaking at a press conference after the match, Pochettino conceded that it was "a painful" defeat, yet one that he wants his players to feel in a bid to build their resolve going forward.
The Argentine said, as quoted by football.london: "They are very competitive and now we need to move forward. They need to feel the pain. Nothing you can tell me can make me feel better. Nothing. They need to feel the pain like us.
"We need to improve and compete at this level against a team that is competing for big things in the last eight years."
He added: "I feel the same as the players. I'm so disappointed, so painful. In football, it is always about having the opportunity.
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"When you arrive for the final, but after when you don't get what you want, all of the effort after seven or eight months, it's so big. It's painful. But we are competitive."
Defeat for Chelsea has taken away their first opportunity to qualify for Europe next season, with a place in the Europa Conference League now going to the Premier League.
Chelsea must find a way to recover in time to face Leeds United in the FA Cup fifth round on Wednesday night, with that competition representing another chance to secure continental football.
Over the weekend, Chelsea have dropped down to 11th position in the Premier League standings, three points adrift of eighth place which is the lowest spot that could possibly lead to European football come the end of the campaign.
Darren Plant
