Enzo Maresca felt Chelsea "deserved something more" from their 2-1 defeat against Liverpool. (More Football News)
The Blues suffered only their second Premier League defeat of the season, as Curtis Jones' strike settled the contest at Anfield.
Nicolas Jackson had struck within minutes of the restart to cancel out Mohamed Salah's first-half penalty, but Chelsea missed the opportunity to climb to third place in the table.
Nevertheless, Maresca believes his players can leave Anfield with their heads held high.
"We don't like to lose or drop points, but I really liked the performance," he told Sky Sports. "We deserved something more, but the performance was good.
"We controlled most of the game. We had chances, we had possession. We don't like to lose, but if we have to choose, this is the way. The team was brave on and off the ball.
"I don't think this game defines where we are. We prepared in the best way, it worked quite well. You have to take chances, but overall I am very happy with the players."
Meanwhile, Reece James felt Chelsea's performance epitomised the impressive strides they have made in a short space of time.
The right-back made his first Premier League start for the club since December 2023, managing 53 minutes on his return to action.
"Coming here is always tough," the Blues skipper said. "I think we controlled most of the game. They had chances; we had a few chances as well but didn't take them.
"We are definitely moving in the right direction. The scoreline doesn't reflect the game.
"If we step back and look at performances and what we are trying to do, we have come a long way. It is still early days, we haven't been with the manager long."
