The Blues should still be confident of overturning the deficit back at Stamford Bridge on January 23, but the evening in the freezing north-east was another bleak occasion for Pochettino, his team and supporters — many of whom were left frustrated by the lack of acknowledgement from the players afterwards.
Chelsea’s brief uptick had consisted of wins over struggling Crystal Palace, Luton and second-tier Preston in the FA Cup but, as ever with this iteration of the Blues, any sense of momentum was short-lived.
It is now 18 months since Clearlake Capital’s takeover, and Chelsea last won more than three games in a row in all competitions back in October 2022, a run consisting of nine matches unbeaten immediately following the appointment of Graham Potter.
It felt, at the time, like a promising start to a new era — the new owners settled in and now with their own man in the dugout — but Potter was sacked in April last year after losing 11 of his next 22 games in charge.
The mild-mannered former Brighton coach left west London as something of a punchline, amid the sense he had taken on a job simply too big for him.
Looking back, perhaps it is time for some revisionism of Potter’s tenure or an acknowledgement he was way down the list of problems at Chelsea.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 12, 2024-Ausgabe von Evening Standard.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der January 12, 2024-Ausgabe von Evening Standard.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Only £65k a month to live like Boy George
The Karma Chameleon singer listed his house for £17m in 2022, turning down offers. Now, he's looking for a tenant
Welcome to London, unicorn capital of Europe
We're flying far ahead of anywhere outside US for tech investment
Arteta's Arsenal evolution The next phase
Malik Ouzia and Simon Collings assess how the Spaniard will try to bring down Man City after he signs up for another three years with the title in his sights
Title fight catches fire after Gunners embrace dark side
Arsenal-City clashes take on a welcome edge of animosity
Whack the hippy gong-boho's back
It happened in Paris one grey February day. Sienna Miller was in an oversized, black leather jacket, lace-trimmed silk slip and clumpy great wedges.
There's a Starlink waiting in the sky... 7,000 in fact.Can Elon Musk stop them crashing to Earth?
As he was preparing his fields for seeding this year, Barry Sawchuk came across a giant slab of space debris. It had come from a spacecraft belonging to Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX.
'Politicians are only into power-mongering, corruption and cronyism'
We speak to alt revolutionary DEEPAK CHOPRA about biomarkers, his digital twin and his work to save humanity from disease
I've been waiting for a production of Godotthis brilliant all my life
Ben Whishaw and Lucian Msamati bring a potent, tragicomic chemistry to James Macdonald’s rich revival of Samuel Beckett’s challenging play.
Trust me, the Ritz is London's bestrestaurant
To whom we turn in moments of gloom and glory can be instructive, a filter of our truest friends. I've fallen out with the Ritz a couple of times, including once after a visit to the bar which didn’t warrant a review (“But you said it was lovely!” they said.
'Healing is a dirty word'
After four traumatic years, FKA twigs is back with a new album -and a thrilling metamorphosis