Mauricio Pochettino was pleased with his side’s response following a disappointing first half as his Chelsea team came back from a goal down to beat Crystal Palace 3-1.
The Eagles had taken the lead in the first half but Chelsea responded 90 seconds after the restart as Conor Gallagher fired home.
It was then a case of the late show at Selhurst Park as the midfielder completed his brace in the 90th minute before Fernandez’s composed finish made it three in the dying moments.
The Chelsea boss was admittedly frustrated with the display from his side in the opening period, but he was ultimately delighted with their response as they secured three important points on the road.
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‘After the first 45 minutes I was very disappointed with the performance,’ the head coach explained. ‘But that is the challenge every single game. We played a fantastic game against Aston Villa and then after that first 45 minutes, you feel really disappointed.
‘We spoke at half time that we need to avoid approaching a game this way or playing in this way. We were so flat and we can’t perform in this way.
‘In the second half, we started really well, but I think it was a tough game. In the end, I’m really pleased because in this type of game, even if we didn’t play 45 minutes in the way we wanted, it’s useful to build our confidence, analyse, and prepare to be consistent.’
Diving into the details, Pochettino pinpointed where he feels his side needs to improve to avoid a repeat of the first half.
He continued: ‘We are a team where we perform sometimes better when we have space and the possibility to run.
‘We use the transition very well, but when the opponent plays like they played today with a low block, we need to show more patience and move the ball quickly. We were so slow in the way we decided to move the ball.
‘We need to take more responsibility, move the ball as quickly as possible, and find the space because it was easy for Palace to cover the space and for us it was difficult. That is about patience and understanding our position.
‘Sure, I would like to play with 80 per cent possession but not with only one shot on target. We were so flat and not aggressive enough. But in the end, we were much better and that’s the way we want to play.’
The boss also praised Gallagher’s performance after the former Palace loanee found the back of the net again following his opener last time out against Aston Villa.
He added: ‘[Conor] is a player with a great commitment to the team and he tries to compensate in an offensive and defensive position, and that is priceless. I’m so happy for him and the team because it’s an important three points.
‘Conor was always the player that arrived before the second line with the possibility to score. Conor is a player who loves to run and use the freedom to play when we have the ball.
‘He is very consistent in dropping back and helping the team in a defensive situation as well. I think he is a player who has been doing a fantastic job since the beginning of the season.’
