Sean Dyche admitted Everton's 6-0 Premier League loss to Chelsea on Monday night was "miles off the mark" the standard he expects, as he accepted him and his squad must use the defeat as a "stark reminder" on the levels needed to bounce back.

Despite a bright start at Stamford Bridge which saw Beto nearly put Everton ahead inside the opening few minutes, the Blues were comfortably second-best to their hosts and on the wrong side of a heavy scoreline as Cole Palmer grabbed four goals while Nicolas Jackson and Alfie Gilchrist completed a miserable outing for the visitors.

Reflecting on a night to forget, Dyche told evertontv: “[It was a] horrible defeat. Arguably the worst of my career, I am 500 games in, 300 odd in the Premier League as a manager and that’s just an awful night. 

“For our fans as well, we came with high expectations and actually started the game really well - exactly how we wanted to. We made them uncomfortable, we had a chance in the first minute or so - but you can’t defend like that. 

“It’s unusual but we can’t defend like that. There’s no fight in the defending, there was no detail in the defending, no hard yards or tackling. It was bizarre, like shadow football for their goals. It was way off the mark, miles off the mark. 

“The last time we were miles off was Villa away. The good thing was that gave us a stark reminder. We need to use this as a stark reminder - it certainly has been for me. I am looking at the players I am picking and I am going, ‘Right, okay there’s a reminder for me’. 

"That's nowhere near - absolutely nowhere near - good enough or acceptable - from me, either."

The frustrations of the defeat were compounded by several injuries to key players throughout the contest, with Seamus Coleman, Jarrad Branthwaite and Nathan Patterson forced off. 

Updating on their situations, Dyche said:  “It was a perfect storm tonight. Every mistake seemed to get punished, every goal seemed to go in. I think they had 14 efforts on goal, we know how many we have had, they scored six - and we got three injuries. 

“That isn’t a good mix, it happens now and again in your career and lifetime in football. But that is as bad as a mix I have experienced, with the injuries. 

“Jarrad, we hope, is minor, but we have to wait and see. Shay (Coleman) has pulled his groin, we don't know yet and Patto’s looks a bit more serious. A hamstring injury, we are going to have to wait and see - let it settle tomorrow.”

Dyche also added he hopes to have both Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Idrissa Gana Gueye available again for Sunday's clash at home to Nottingham Forest (1.30pm BST)

“Dom’s got a good chance,” revealed Dyche. “It was touch and go whether he trained and whether he could play. But obviously with the last couple of years we had to make a decision, and Gana woke up saying he had a tight calf so we had to make a decision on that as well.”