Mauricio Pochettino 'not worried' by Man Utd defeat and says tired Chelsea 'didn't match the energy'

Erik Ten Hag's side won the match 2-1 thanks to a Scott McTominay double on either side of a Cole Palmer strike. The Blues boss revealed that he was not worried about the loss and said that the result came down to his side lacking the same energy compared to Manchester United. The Argentine said his team were tired on after having to contend with Brighton on the weekend with only 10 men after captain Conor Gallagher was sent off.

In the post-match press conference, the Argentine said: "I'm not worried because there's too many circumstances which need to explain why we didn't perform, to play with Brighton with one less for so long may have affected the energy, and we need to recover too many players from injury, to have different options and be more competitive.

"That's not an excuse, only that they were better. In which percentage? Maybe 10 per cent, but we need to be focused, recover the players and get ready for Sunday. We miss players, we played nearly with the same players we faced Brighton with, and we were a man down for 60 minutes. Manchester United had a day more to prepare, and we had many young players on our bench. It's not an excuse, but that's the reality."

"I'm not disappointed because we gave everything, but we didn't match the energy or aggressiveness. We created chances, maybe enough to draw the game."

Chelsea have already lost more games this season than they have won, and they now sit only one point closer to the Champions League spots as compared to the relegation zone. The Blues' results have run very hot and cold as over the last five matches, they have won 4-1 to Tottenham Hotspur, drawn 4-4 to Manchester City and won 3-2 over Brighton but also suffered losses to Newcastle United and the Red Devils.

Pochettino's men will have little time to rest as they return to action against Everton on Sunday, December 10 as they look to try and stay in the top 10.