Mauricio Pochettino insisted he’s “so proud” of his Chelsea players after they took a step closer to European football with victory over Brighton on Wednesday night.
Cole Palmer gave the Blues the lead with a brilliant header before Christopher Nkunku doubled the lead as he converted from Malo Gusto’s cross.
It should have been comfortable but a late Reece James red card and a Danny Welbeck goal made for a nervy finish with Chelsea having to withstand heavy pressure, but they held on for a 2-1 win.
Pochettino “so proud” of players
Victory against the Seagulls made it four Premier League wins in a row, the first time the club have done that since October 2022, with the fine late season form continuing.
After a difficult first half of the season things are coming together and Chelsea are starting to look like a proper team, having really developed and matured over the course of the season.
A point on the final day against Bournemouth will secure a top six finish and Europa League football providing Manchester United don’t win the FA Cup.
Pochettino, who has been under intense pressure over his future insisted he was really proud of the players and the way they applied the work being done on the training ground.
“I am so happy for the players, they deserve the full credit because of the way they worked, they approached the game and tried to apply all of the work we have been doing on the training ground”, the Argentine told Chelsea’s website.
“I feel so proud, to face a team like Brighton here in their stadium, it is always difficult and of course, we are so happy because the three points allow us to have the hope of achieving what we want, which is to play in Europe next season.”
With the way the Blues are playing it’s a real shame the season is coming to an end, but this run of form has given real optimism heading into the next campaign.