Pochettino sends cryptic message, says ‘something affected’ Chelsea in Fulham game

Mauricio Pochettino admits Chelsea didn’t play as he expected in the first-half vs Fulham

Chelsea secured a thrilling 1-0 victory against Fulham in a highly entertaining match, successfully fending off a last-minute assault by the Cottagers. The Blues demonstrated defensive prowess and strategically climbed to eighth place in the Premier League.

Cole Palmer seized the moment, propelling Chelsea into the lead from the penalty spot in the 45th minute after Raheem Sterling was fouled. The former Manchester City star showcased composure as he calmly converted the penalty, elevating his goal tally to nine for the season.

The game saw Conor Gallagher coming tantalizingly close to sealing the victory, with his outside-the-boot shot hitting the post. Additionally, Armando Broja’s first-half header narrowly missed finding the back of the net. The encounter was a rollercoaster of excitement, culminating in a crucial win for the Blues.

When asked by Mauricio Pochettino about the Blues’ performance against Fulham, the Argentine manager gave a strange reply, (h/t Football.London), and said:

Of course, the first half wasn’t the first half that we planned. Something happened before the game that I cannot explain. I think that affected the team a little bit. We started the second half really well. I think we played really good football for 30 minutes and should score another goal or one or two and kill the game. 

The first half was pretty decent; maybe from a tactical point, it wasn’t what Pochettino was expecting. We played with good intensity and created chances but couldn’t put the ball in the back of the net. Palmer and Enzo Fernandez were delightful to watch, creating goalscoring chances.

It was a nervy game, and we should have scored at least three goals, but as usual, we were poor in front of the net and somehow managed to guard our lead. This is now our fourth straight win at home for the first time since 2020, which should tell you that we might be slow but are nevertheless moving in the right direction.

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The Argentine manager has done great work, but sometimes he is let down by players because of their profligacy. Once that is fixed, we will compete with top sides soon and challenge for the Champions League as well.

Chelsea remain a work in process with several issues still to be ironed out. Hopefully those will be addressed sooner than later as we aim to climb up the Premier League table.