The Stamford Bridge sound system blared the old disco hit Ain't No Stopping Us Now after Chelsea's hard-fought 2-1 English Premier League win over Crystal Palace on Dec 27, but momentum is still sorely lacking for Mauricio Pochettino's team.
An 89th-minute penalty earned and converted by substitute Noni Madueke unleashed a wave of relief around the stadium, where fans have endured a hugely disappointing 2023, despite massive spending on new players by the club's American owners.
Pochettino knows it all too well that there is still a lot of work to be done, saying: "It was really tough, but I'm pleased with the performance overall.
"We didn't start well, we were a little bit nervous and we struggled because we were thinking too much about a game we really needed to win.
"We created chances to score, we scored, but I wasn't so happy we conceded in the last minute (of the first half).
"The second half we started well again, played a bit more, and I'm so happy the players from the bench had a good impact."
Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin December 29, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
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Bu hikaye The Straits Times dergisinin December 29, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
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