Didier Drogba has warned Chelsea they need to improve at both ends of the pitch if they are to retain their Barclays Premier League title.
The Blues ended the weekend in second place for the first time this season after Sunday's 1-1 draw at Newcastle, and have taken just four points from the last 15 on offer.
The 32-year-old told BBC Sport: "That's normal, that's football. We had these moments last year and it is up to us to change things, to get back to scoring goals and not concede."
Salomon Kalou's equaliser meant they at least avoided a third successive league defeat for the first time in 11 years, but with Manchester United having roared back to the top of the table with Saturday's 7-1 demolition of Blackburn, Drogba knows they need to be more ruthless in both penalty areas.
He added: "We had so many clean sheets for a certain time, but now we are conceding in every game, so that's something we have to change if we want to go back to the top of the league."
Chelsea headed for St James' Park desperate to return with all three points after losing to Liverpool, Sunderland and Birmingham either side of a 1-0 victory over Fulham in their previous four league games.
Kalou's strike was just their second in that run of fixtures, which has now seen them concede seven, and that imbalance has proved costly.
Drogba said: "Once again, we created a lot of chances and could have scored maybe another goal.
"But the problem is we conceded a goal very early in the game and we had to chase, and when you have to chase, you create more space and you create more fatigue as well, so it is difficult to convert the opportunities you have."
Source: PA
