Mauricio Pochettino said he was pleased with the second-half performance from Chelsea as the Blues came from behind to earn a late win at Crystal Palace.
Stoppage-time goals from Conor Gallagher and Enzo Fernndez earned Chelsea a 3-1 win at Selhurst Park, with Pochettino’s side forced to come from behind after Jefferson Lerma’s spectacular strike for the hosts.
Gallagher’s first of the evening levelled the game two minutes after the interval, before a quick-fire one-two in stoppage time sealed three points for Chelsea.
Pochettino admitted his team were poor in the opening exchanges but was pleased with how Chelsea responded in a ‘tough’ London derby.
“After the first 45 minutes I was very disappointed with the performance,” Pochettino said in his post-match press conference.
‘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.
“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.”
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