Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino lamented his side's missed opportunities following a 2-1 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford. The Argentine insisted that the West London Blues need to 'make better decisions' in their future endeavours.
"We need to be more clinical in places like Old Trafford," he told BBC MOTD. "Conceding the second goal made it more difficult. We need to make better decisions. They pushed us to play in our half in the first half, but then I think we were better and played a little bit more effectively. It's challenging with all the emotion out there."
In the opening moments, United squandered an opportunity to take the lead when Bruno Fernandes failed to convert from the penalty spot. The Portuguese playmaker, given the chance after a VAR check ruled in favour of a foul on Antony, executed his trademark stop-and-start technique, only to be thwarted by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
Despite this setback, United pressed on, and their persistence was rewarded in the 20th minute. Taking advantage of a Chelsea giveaway in their own half, Scott McTominay clinically found the bottom corner to give the hosts a deserved lead.
The first half remained a back-and-forth affair, with both teams missing opportunities. McTominay came close to doubling his tally, while Chelsea's Mykhailo Mudryk struck the outside of the post in response. Just as the half seemed to be winding down, Cole Palmer levelled the scores with a sublime finish into the bottom corner during added time.
The second half saw a less action-packed display until Alejandro Garnacho's pinpoint cross found McTominay, who once again proved decisive by restoring United's lead via a header with 20 minutes remaining.
Pochettino commented on his side's display on the night: "We didn't start the match well, and maybe that can be expected because of the last couple of days. We couldn't match the energy of Manchester United, but they had an extra day to recover. We missed energy and the possibility to change the game. That was a problem, and it happens sometimes. That is football. Full credit to Manchester United. They deserved the victory and were better than us, but we were close. We need to focus on the next game."
The loss leaves Chelsea currently languish in the 10th spot in the Premier League standings ahead of their match against Everton at Goodison Park.
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