Pochettino ‘very proud’ after Chelsea victory

Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino said he was proud of his players after they held on to beat Brighton 3-2 despite playing the entire second half with 10 men.

In a controversial encounter that saw Chelsea awarded a penalty by VAR and Brighton correctly denied one after referee Craig Pawson had pointed to the spot in the 10th minute of time added on, Conor Gallagher was dismissed on the stroke of half-time.

The Chelsea skipper was given his marching orders after a lunging tackle on former Blues midfielder Billy Gilmour, having been booked in the early minutes of the match.

“He shouldn’t have been sent off, that is my opinion and maybe I am wrong,” Pochettino said.

“He was trying to win the ball back and this type of thing happens.

“We are a young team and we need to improve and learn the Premier League is the best league in the world.

“We need to live and to feel what it means to play in the Premier League and we showed after Newcastle that we can play and that we care and wanted to win the game.”

The result was a boost for the Blues after they were soundly beaten 4-1 at Newcastle last week with a performance that infuriated the Argentine.

“I feel very proud because after the Newcastle game it was very tough and a team like Brighton are difficult to play and the first 20-25 minutes we were controlling the game,” he said.

“We were a little bit flat before we conceded and then with Gallagher out but we scored another goal. But we are Chelsea and we play to win and the position we are now is not easy for the players.

“That is why I am so proud of the character we have shown. It was a massive challenge and this was a very good win.”