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Chelsea playmaker Cesc Fabregas insists that the Blues were beaten by a Manchester City side, who were 'much better rested' for the Premier League clash last weekend.
The Blues struggled to gain a foothold in Saturday's clash versus the Citizens, and they eventually lost to a 67th-minute winner from Kevin de Bruyne, who sealed a 1-0 triumph for Pep Guardiola's side.
Speaking on the club's official website, Fabregas admitted that the Blues always had a difficult task after they were offered just a day's rest after the Champions League win at Atletico Madrid.
He said: "The truth is we knew it would be a difficult week, starting with the trip to Stoke last Saturday which as we know is always a complicated task.
"Then there was the trip to Atletico Madrid, arriving back early the next morning at 5am on Thursday, with practically only one day to prepare for the match.
"We are making no excuses but it was a difficult week and we have competed. We gave it everything and could not have done anything more."
Despite the defeat, Fabregas insists that the Chelsea side are playing in the same vein of form as last season and the defeat could b partially blamed on the additional rest the Citizens received.
He added: "This was without a doubt the same Chelsea of last season, but what happened was that we came up against a City side who went into the game much better rested than we did. Nothing more."
The Premier League holders are currently placed fourth on the table, six points behind leaders City, who are still unbeaten in the campaign.
Chelsea will not face Crystal Palace until a week on Saturday, and Antonio Conte will hope to have his players unscathed on international duty.
Written by Sri Aswin
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