Mauricio Pochettino questions whether Chelsea are 'mature enough to compete' after dismal Sheffield United draw - as ex-Premier League star claims Blues 'would be in relegation fight if not for Cole Palmer'

Chelsea twice threw away leads against Sheffield United on Saturday; Thiago Silva gave the Blues the lead before Jayden Bogle equalised, and then Noni Madueke appeared to have won the game for the Blues, before Oli McBurnie levelled again in injury time. The 2-2 draw was a humiliating one for Pochettino, given that Chris Wilder's side are rock-bottom and have been on the end of some thrashings this season, including an 8-0 defeat to Newcastle at Bramall Lane.

Pochettino has now hit out at Chelsea's inability to close games out, while Jamie Redknapp, on Sky Sports, claimed that the Blues "would be in a relegation battle without Cole Palmer". While the former Manchester City star failed to fire against the Blades, he did record an assist, taking his total goal contributions for the season to 25 in the Premier League.

In a furious post-match interview, Pochettino told reporters: "At 52, you identify really quickly whether the team is ready to compete or not. Maybe this group is not mature enough to compete in games every three days. It's a new team and we are still learning about their profiles. The process always takes time. It's not a magic thing. It's a project, a three or five year process to build a team.

"We are in the semi-finals of the FA Cup. We were not in a good position in the beginning, but that's normal. We need to accept it now and work to try and fix our problems."

Chelsea are next in action on Monday, April 15 against Everton and will hope to put this torrid result behind them. They currently sit ninth in the Premier League, five points behind sixth-placed Manchester United.