Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said he was “very pleased” with his side’s performance against Manchester City despite failing to hang on for the win.
The Blues took a surprise lead at Eastlands through Raheem Sterling, who scored on his old stomping ground just before halftime.
The hosts peppered Chelsea‘s goal with shots, but Erling Haaland had an uncharacteristically profligate night in front of goal, missing three big chances.
It was left up to Rodri to ensure Man City came away with at least a point after the defensive midfielder scored an equaliser late on.
“Very good performance, very pleased,” Pochettino told Sky Sports. “I think that is the spirit that we want to show. We are working for that. I think they are the best team in the world and to show this performance, I think we need to be proud. We were very brave.
“First half was really good. I think we were aggressive with the ball going forward and winning duels. In the second half I think they dominated and they forced us to defend deeper. I think we sustained the effort and had some chances to win the game. I am so happy. It is a good draw for us and when you face this type of team I think it is important to be brave and fight in every aspect.
“Manchester City have the quality and capacity to create chances and they have amazing players. It is fantastic for us and we need to grow.”
Pochettino switched from a back four to a back five midway through the second half, subbing Cole Palmer off for Trevoh Chalobah. The change invited more pressure from Man City, but the Argentine felt it was justified.
“It was in a moment when we needed to try and score the second,” he said. “I think we decide to not give too much space to them and bring another centre-back on.
“Playing with a back four they find a good channel and we wanted to try and stop this run. It was difficult because we were not able to score the second goal and they got the goal and the draw.”
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