Chelsea manager Tuchel blames Stamford Bridge pitch for Christensen error in Arsenal defeat

Thomas Tuchel has complained about the state of Chelsea's pitch at Stamford Bridge as he blamed the surface for Andreas Christensen's back-pass error that gifted Arsenal an early goal on Wednesday.

The German manager believes the pitch was "not in our favour", while acknowledging that his perspective "maybe sounds like an excuse" after a 4-2 defeat against the Gunners.

Chelsea have lost three matches at home in April, conceding 11 times across their matches against Brentford, Real Madrid and Arsenal.

What did Tuchel say about the Stamford Bridge pitch?

"I must say, the pitch is difficult to play on here," he told reporters.

"It maybe sounds like an excuse but it is a very difficult pitch that we have here. It is not to our favour. The ball bounces very, very awkwardly in front of Andreas when he wants to play this ball."

Tuchel added that he took off Christensen at half-time due to an injury, not because of his performance over the opening 45 minutes.

Who do Chelsea play next?

The Blues host West Ham at Stamford Bridge this weekend as they finish the season with four home games in their final seven outings in the Premier League.

After the game against the Hammers, Chelsea then face Manchester United at Old Trafford, before fixtures against Everton, Wolves and Leeds.

Tuchel's side then contest the FA Cup final against Liverpool on May 14, finishing the 2021-22 campaign with home games against Leicester and Watford.

The bigger picture

Despite losing to Arsenal, Chelsea remain secure in third place in the Premier League. They still hold a five-point advantage over Arsenal and Tottenham with a game in hand.

But after crashing out of the Champions League last week in a dramatic match against Real Madrid, their recent struggles have certainly upset their manager.

"How can you do three, two, one big mistakes in matches? How can you?" he said to reporters. "You cannot."

Speaking to BBC Sport, he added: "We need to find a solution. I don’t have one right now. It is completely on us. A number of individual errors you cannot overcome. You cannot give three goals away [against Arsenal] for nothing.

"I hate losing and losing three times at home is unacceptable."

Further reading

• Chelsea hit 33-year low with back-to-back defeats
• Chelsea take off Christensen after nightmare first half
• Blues play first reduced capacity match due to sanctions