Chelsea captain Reece James insisted the club requires "stability", following Saturday's FA Cup final defeat by Manchester City.

The Blues were beaten 1-0 at Wembley Stadium, after Antoine Semenyo's delicious backheel flick secured victory for Pep Guardiola's side in the 72nd minute.

Chelsea, who fielded the youngest starting XI in an FA Cup final (24 years, 301 days) since Nottingham Forest in 1991 (23y 309d), have now lost each of their last four such matches.

It was the latest disappointment at the end of a difficult campaign for the club, with Calum McFarlane in interim charge for a second time, following the dismissals of Enzo Maresca and Liam Rosenior.

"I think the key thing is stability," James said when asked what Chelsea need in the future. 

"[It's] obviously disappointing to lose. [There was] not much in the game. It was pretty even. They had one half-chance, and they managed to take it.

"No one is happy when you lose. We have lost a fair few games recently – it has been difficult. Every time we step out onto the pitch, the target is to win. There is a lot we need to learn and to take forward."

It was McFarlane's sixth game in charge of Chelsea. Only Syd Owen has taken charge of fewer matches before managing a team in an FA Cup final, with the 1959 showpiece against Nottingham Forest his first match as Luton Town boss (player-manager).

Despite the defeat, the interim boss was pleased by what he saw from his players.

"It's a weird one, but I'm proud of the performance," he said. "I thought it was a really even game.

"Congratulations to Manchester City. They came out on top in this one, but I thought it was two evenly matched sides. I thought we went toe-to-toe with them.

"We had moments where we were the better team, and they had moments where they were the better team, and the game was decided by one moment of quality. I thought both teams created similar moments, similar chances."

Former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid boss Xabi Alonso has reportedly agreed a deal to become the next head coach at Stamford Bridge.

However, McFarlane is focused on helping Chelsea secure European qualification in their final two Premier League games of the season, with the Blues currently occupying ninth place and two points behind Brentford in eighth.

"I don't have anything to report on that," he said of the Alonso speculation. "My job is to train the team and coach the team in the next two games."