Mauricio Pochettino admits Chelsea cannot afford to play like they did in the first half of their 3-1 win over Crystal Palace but says he is “so pleased” with the end result.
The Blues dominated possession in the opening 45 minutes but failed to create any opportunities of note and went in at the break behind following a wonder goal from Jefferson Lerma.
But Pochettino’s side responded in the second half with Conor Gallagher netting twice against the club where he spent a season on loan before Enzo Fernandez added a third right before full-time.
“Of course, it was very flat the first 45 minutes,” Pochettino said. “A very disappointing performance.
“We had a fantastic game against Aston Villa and the first 45 minutes I felt really disappointed.
“We were talking at half-time about what we needed to avoid and to stop to play in this way, so flat. We cannot perform in this way.
“The second half we started really well, we score, and it was tough game. But I’m so pleased because this type of game, even if we don’t play the first 45 minutes in the way that we wanted, I think it is to build our confidence and to realise that we need to play better and to be consistent which is the most important thing in the Premier League.”
