(Reuters) - Everton's 5-0 drubbing by an inspired and ruthless Chelsea team at Stamford Bridge on Saturday left midfielder Tom Cleverley feeling embarrassed.
The Merseysiders travelled to London in good form, but had no answer to Chelsea's three-man defence and the attacking threat posed by the trio of Diego Costa, Eden Hazard and Pedro.
"It hurts. You feel inferior as a professional," Cleverley told reporters. "That's not what you work for. It really does hurt Embarrassment? I would probably say that, yeah."
The former Manchester United player said the defeat ranked among the worst of his career and urged his team mates to make sure Everton came back strongly after the international break.
"It's a bit of a wake-up call.... We've not been playing our best football," he added.
"We know that wasn't good enough... We deserved what we got. It's a shame we've got two weeks now before our next game to put it right, but we've got to give something back to the fans who travelled down.
"I'm fully confident this can only motivate us and push us on now."
Everton, who are seventh in the table, host second-bottom Swansea City on Nov. 19.