Thomas Tuchel insisted his Chelsea players deserved the three points against Manchester United in the Stamford Bridge showdown on Sunday.
The two sides played out a 1-1 stalemate in what was a high-billed meeting between the bitter rivals who came into the contest on the back of contrasting results in recent times.
Chelsea enjoyed the lion’s share of possession and had the greater number of chances through on goal including the final kick of the game from Antonio Rudiger which could well have sealed the win for the home side.
The Germany international was found unmarked in the box by a delivery from wide man Christian Pulisic but Rudiger’s volleyed effort fired over David de Gea’s goal as the final whistle sounded out seconds later brought curtains down on the game.
In the aftermath of his side’s draw, Tuchel insisted in the post-match remarks that the Blues had deserved to emerge victors from Sunday’s outing and it was a disappointment not to secure all three points.
“For sure, this match, it’s hard to imagine that you can drop points, because we were the better team and we were the team who set the rhythm and intensity and high ball wins.
“We’re disappointed but we have no regrets.
“This can happen in football, we know it. It does not feel good when it happens, but it’s like this. I told the team I am happy with their performance and the way we played. I’m happy with the way we play and I’m happy with the courage that we show and the intensity and the will and the intensity. It’s a hungry team and a team that plays with a lot of effort and this is what I like, because it’s exciting to coach and also exciting to watch.
“When you play a game like against Juventus, if you maybe don’t score the first goal from a set-piece or if Thiago doesn’t save the Morata chance on the line, it’s always possible you play the exact same game and you play a draw. This can happen. We don’t want it to happen and we try hard to get the reward for performances like this, but I’m absolutely happy with what the players put in.
“We created chances, we created deliveries, we had a huge amount of shots. Can we take them better? Yes. We had so many high ball recoveries, can we maybe create a bit more chances and superiority out of them? Yes, maybe. But we put in an effort and I think the spectators feel that so the energy is right, the quality is right, the result is the result. It is today not in our favour. It should be, but we have to accept it.”
