Mauricio Pochettino spoke to the Chelsea TV cameras after yesterday’s win with a big glowing smile on his face, which was nice to see after some gloomy months at the helm.
It was a joy for him to be able to fill an interview with praise rather than deflected criticism, and he of course picked out the “amazing” Cole Palmer.
What he noted in particular was the final action of the game, which saw Enzo Fernandez take a corner short after he spotted Palmer trotting over to the edge of the area unmarked.
“The way we scored the last goal, between Enzo and him… how smart they were [was impressive]. They created the fourth goal and the three points,” Poch glowed.
It was an underrated smart moment. It would have been easier to just swing the corner in, with the whole game on the line. By doing this they risked major criticism from the fans if things didn’t work out (and the shot was nearly blocked). But when Palmer is unmarked in this form, you’ve got to pick him out, and Enzo knew it.
You can see the manager speaking in the clip embedded here:
It was equal parts an intelligent play by the Chelsea youngsters and an inexplicable lack of urgency and alertness from Utd (who boasted numerous veterans on the pitch who should never have let it happen)!