Mauricio Pochettino admits one Chelsea player was left absolutely shattered after playing in the victory against Brighton this week.
Chelsea moved a step closer to sealing European qualification by winning 2-1 away at Brighon on Wednesday night.
Mauricio Pochettino’s side have now won four consecutive matches in the Premier League, which has lifted them up to sixth in the division table.
Cole Palmer, who’s now got 22 league goals this season, opened the scoring. Meanwhile, Blues teammate Christopher Nkunku came off the bench and scored what turned out to be the winning goal at the Amex Stadium.
Mauricio Pochettino says Chelsea player was exhausted against Brighton
Chelsea boss Pochettino shared in his post-match interview that Christopher Nkunku was incredibly tired after getting some valuable minutes in his legs.
The goalscoring attacker replaced Mykhaiilo Mudryk as a concussion substitute late in the first-half, but he still got a good 60 minute chunk of action when you add up the stoppage time in both halves.
It was just the Frenchman’s third appearance off the bench since returning from a hamstring injury, plus his 13th match of an injury-hit campaign.
When asked about Nkunku’s performance versus Brighton, Pochettino responded via Football.London: “He was suffering a lot with injuries. He needs to now be consistent, consistent. He was so tired at the end and played only 60 minutes.
“I am so happy for him because he was suffering and now he scores goals and be involved with the team. I am happy for him first and of course for the team because we are adding a player that is very important for us.”
Does Christopher Nkunku make Chelsea’s best XI?
The Chelsea Chronicle believes that Nkunku would have been a key player in the Blues starting line-up this year had injuries not kept him out for over half a season.
Whether he’s playing as a left-winger, No 10 or No 9, Nkunku does add an extra bit of quality to Chelsea’s attacking play.
The 26-year-old took his goal against Brighton with the kind of calmness in the box that not many of his teammates have.
Match stats versus Brighton
WhoScored provided the data from Nkunku’s eye-catching display in midweek on the South Coast
Here below are the forward’s ratings:
- Match rating – 7.37
- Shots – 2
- Goals – 1
- Key passes – 1
- Dribbles – 1
- Crosses – 3
- Tackles – 2
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