Mauricio Pochettino disputed Chelsea captain Conor Gallagher’s assessment of their 5-0 defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday.
The Blues endured a heavy loss at the Emirates Stadium, with Arsenal displaying clinical prowess in the second half, albeit less so in the first 45 minutes.
- Thiago Silva’s wife slams Pochettino again after Chelsea were destroyed by Arsenal
- Hojlund fell out with two Man Utd team-mates after complaining about Bruno Fernandes
- John Terry names the four toughest players he ever faced in his career
Kai Havertz scored twice, and defender Ben White unexpectedly netted two goals from right-back in the second half.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring for Arsenal early on, and despite Chelsea’s chances through Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez, Arsenal’s second goal effectively sealed the match.
The result propels Mikel Arteta’s side three points clear at the top of the Premier League table, ahead of second-placed Liverpool, with a significantly better goal difference. Chelsea’s nightmare evening sees them concede more goals this season than in any previous Premier League campaign.
After the match, Gallagher said the defeat wasn’t due to a lack of effort: “We definitely are putting the effort in. I know how much it means to all the boys.”
However, Pochettino had a contrasting perspective on the events and criticized his squad for their performance.
He told reporters: “We conceded two goals and, in this moment, the team gave up. We were not in the game.
“You can lose a game, and Arsenal are fighting for the Premier League, but the way we competed three days ago and [compared to] today, there is no excuse.
“Today, you can use any words to describe our performance. Our standards are not sustained for the bad days.
“When we have bad days, we are so bad. When we are good, we are capable of everything.”
