Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino admits they were handed a reality check in midweek.
The Blues had been upbeat about the future after reaching the Carabao Cup final, where they will play Liverpool.
However, facing off against the same opposition in the Premier League resulted in a 4-1 loss.
During his press conference, Pochettino stated: "Of course, a reality check. Liverpool are there because they deserve to be at the top of the table. It's a game we lose for different circumstances.
Now we can talk in a different way and use different topics. It's so important to realize why. It's not only to work harder, but to improve as a team. In different periods of the game, we showed lack of experience as a team.
Sometimes you can practice every single day but you have to arrive and show the right energy, the right attitude, to be brave, show personality and character. Football is also that.
No it's not a reality check. It's the difference between a team that is playing consistently and challenging for four or five years."
He then added on the club's progress so far: It's true that today we want the result and it's difficult to wait. After the third year of Liverpool, they came to Wembley, and we at Tottenham beat them 4-1. Nobody said it was the end of the world for Liverpool. Look what happened for them: they won the Premier League, the Champions League."