In pictures: Tottenham v Chelsea
Mauricio Pochettino showed his classy side in his post-match interview after Chelsea’s hard-fought win over Tottenham on Monday night. The hosts went ahead in the first half but threw away their lead after Cristian Romero and Destiny Udogie were sent off, allowing Chelsea to capitalise and secure all three points.
Cole Palmer equalised from the penalty spot before Udogie was dismissed after picking up two yellow cards, giving the Blues a significant numerical advantage. They initially found it hard to break down Tottenham, who were playing an unusually high line in a bid to catch players offside, but a late Nicolas Jackson hat-trick ensured the points went back to Stamford Bridge.
The result allowed Pochettino to have the last laugh upon his return to Spurs, but the 51-year-old was in no mood to gloat after the final whistle as he insisted that Chelsea’s victory did not taste any sweeter than usual despite the win coming against his former club.
“I am so happy because the points mean a lot to us,” said Pochettino on Sky Sports. “We are in a situation where we need to win points. I am so happy because we came back and showed to people that we had the positivity. For me the most important thing is the three points. It’s Tottenham, but it’s not more special because of that.”
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Pochettino went on to heap praise on Tottenham’s tactical approach after going down to nine men, insisting that Ange Postecoglou’s high line made it difficult for Chelsea to gain control of the match despite having two extra players at their disposal.
“We made too many mistakes in possession and Tottenham started the game with full of energy,” he added. “After we conceded, the team started to play and played with more freedom. We didn’t show our quality in the first 10 to 15 minutes of the match that we are supposed to have.
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“The line of the defence was so high and we started to build from the back. We didn’t have the patience to move the ball from one side to another and find the right moment. We ran into spaces at the wrong time and were disappointed at half-time for not exposing the space that Tottenham gave us.
“We didn’t find the right moment to kill the game because the line of defence was so high. The most important thing for us is the three points.”
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