Mauricio Pochettino reveals Thiago Silva went to stands to applaud Chelsea fans’ support
Mauricio Pochettino says Thiago Silva wanted to calm travelling Chelsea fans down after the final whistle in the Blues 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough in the first leg of the Carabao Cup.
The Blues wasted numerous opportunities to seal the match in the first half and were subsequently punished by Hayden Hackney’s first-half goal which was sufficient to give Michael Carrick’s team the victory.
The travelling fans erupted in anger when the referee blew the final whistle, and the most senior player, Silva, went down to the stands to be a peacemaker among the fans.
He went to appreciate fan support throughout the entire game but was met with a barrage of hostility, which later turned ugly. After the game, the Argentine manager was questioned about what happened between fans and Silva, (h/t Metro) he said:
‘‘Don’t be confused because the fans were reacting to Middlesbrough fans, not with our players; our fans were fantastic with us. I think it was Thiago and some players to whom I listened; they were trying to calm our fans because I think it was a problem between the fans. Not with our fans and players. Be careful how you translate to the media or our fans. Don’t confuse the people.’’
We don’t know what goes on in the stands, so it’s possible that the fans were reacting to a different scenario. When Middlesbrough scored, their supporters may have made fun of Chelsea’s supporters for travelling so far to see the game. This could have resulted in a confrontation between the two groups of supporters, which is why our players may have stepped in.
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The team’s most seasoned player, Silva, felt that since the away fans made the lengthy trip to attend the game, it was only right to show them gratitude and he was also joined by other players. Now we should focus on the second leg and try to turn the fortunes around at Stamford Bridge.