"Go in there fighting" - Mauricio Pochettino sends defiant message to Chelsea squad after last-gasp Palace win
Chelsea scored a late goal to earn a 2-1 win against Crystal Palace in the Premier League on Wednesday, December 27.
The Blues took the lead in the 12th minute after Mykhailo Mudryk tapped in the opener. Palace drew level in the dying minutes of the first half, courtesy of a clean strike from Michael Olise.
The match became a cagey affair in the second half, with both teams missing the few chances that came their way. Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino used his subtitutions to impact the game and Noni Madueke delivered from the bench.
The young English winger earned and scored a penalty in the final minutes of the game to seal a 2-1 win for the Blues at Stamford Bridge.
Speaking after the game, Pochettino said (via Mirror):
“I want all the players [who] are not involved to go at me. I like it because we won the game. He got the penalty and scored it. We are not a charity. We are a football club and we need to perform. We are here to try to help the players to perform."
Trying to galvanise his squad, the Chelsea boss added:
“Sometimes we need to be tough and show the reality and put in front of them the mirror to show ‘come on, that is not the player that is going to perform.’ We have an amazing group of players, very nice people."
He concluded:
“But to compete in Chelsea is not the same as another club. It’s about winning, to lift trophies, to respect the history of the club. How do you respect? Go in there fighting. The first thing is to have the right mentality and show respect to the history of the club.”
Chelsea have lost three of their last five league games and are currently in the 10th spot, with 25 points after 19 games.
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson unhappy with late penalty for Chelsea
Noni Madueke's penalty decision did not go down well with Crystal Palace's manager Roy Hodgson, who criticized the referees, saying (via Mirror):
“I’m tempted to say: ‘what’s the point?’ You have to accept there’s two referees in every game and every time something happens on the field of play, the referee makes the decision, you still have to wait a few minutes to see if the other referee has seen something different."
Palace are ranked 15th in the table with 18 points after 19 games.