‘99 times out of 100 we’d win this’ JUSTATUCH
THOMAS TUCHEL accused Burnley of “stealing a point by pure luck” after Matej Vydra’s late strike denied his Chelsea side one of the most comprehensive 1-0 wins you’d see.
Tuchel’s frustrations were understandable – after all, his side were dominant from the off and should have run away with the game.
But it wasn’t Burnley’s fault the home side were wasteful. The German was also ignoring the fact Nick Pope made three outstanding saves at the end of a disappointing week in which he was overlooked by England. With his performance here, Pope sent a timely message that, on his day, he’s as strong as any of his rivals for the country’s No.1 spot because he more than played his part in securing a point that was as vital as it was unlikely.
Blues boss Tuchel (left) said: “It was a fantastic 90 minutes when you look at the performance.
“It can only happen in football. That is why everyone loves the game – a team can steal a point if the other team forgets to score the goals they deserve.
“Of course, I’m disappointed.
“If we played this game 100 times, we’d win 99 times.
“The second goal would have decided it. It’s always possible you miss one ball, one cross, and this can happen. It’s our fault. We should have scored. We created so many chances. You have the opponent where you want to have them. You create so many chances.
“We let them believe it was possible to steal a point by pure luck and that’s what happened.
“But we are in a good place.
“On another game we maybe get lucky and steal some points.”
Burnley boss Sean
Dyche replied: “I can understand him being frustrated.
“If the shoe was on the other foot I might be thinking that but I also might be thinking,
‘OK, they did what
Burnley have to do’.” Things were more polite between the managers after the game than during it, with Dyche claiming to be bemused by questions about two or three exchanges as tensions simmered in the technical areas.
He must have forgotten him and Tuchel shouting at each other after Ross Barkley and Ben
Mee clashed, even though he appeared to complain to the fourth official that he’d have been in trouble if he’d run on to the field as the German did.
Dyche’s assistant Steve Stone concluded another round of handbags when he demanded that the Chelsea bench should, ‘Show some flipping respect’, or words to that effect.
Tuchel giggled as he declined to divulge details of the spats but he must have known what he was doing when he celebrated Kai Havertz’s goal wildly in front of the Burnley bench. Dyche, Ian Woan and Stone, for their part, were much more cool in their own celebrations, the gaffer simply sipping his water when inside he must have been punching the air.
Chelsea had four fine opportunities to go ahead within eight minutes but Pope saved well from Callum Hudson-odoi, who then skewed the rebound, and again from Jorginho. In between those chances, Charlie Taylor got enough of a block on Reece James’s shot to deflect it over, Andreas Christensen headed just wide and Maxwell Cornet needed to be alert to stop Barkley’s cross reaching Havertz at the far post as the Blues laid siege to their visitors’ goal.
Chelsea were ahead by the break, Havertz heading home from James’ brilliant cross after N’golo Kante set the wing-back free.
They were unlucky not to make it two after half-time when Thiago Silva headed against a post.
Havertz had a glorious chance to kill the game but scooped over before Pope denied Hudson-odoi.
And they were made to pay when Jay Rodriguez nodded down for fellow sub Vydra to tuck in the equaliser home.