Pochettino makes honest admission after losing to Manchester United

Photo: Getty Images

Mauricio Pochettino has admitted that Chelsea were the second-best side when they faced Manchester United at Old Trafford on Wednesday.

Scott McTominay scored on either side of halftime to hand the Red Devils all three points, despite Cole Palmer’s brilliant strike before the break.

Chelsea struggled to keep up with the high-press of the Red Devils, and were forced into making mistakes on many occasions, and Pochettino has now conceded that the lack of energy from his team cost them in the game.

“I am disappointed because we didn’t start the game well,” he said.

“The feeling is that they started better than us, showing more energy than us. We couldn’t match the energy. I think they were better than us and there’s nothing I can say.

“The second half we started well but then we conceded and again I think we missed a little bit the energy to be more aggressive. We had some chances but not enough to get back in the game again. But overall my feeling is that they were better than us and deserved the three points.”

Chelsea remain 10th on the league table, but only based on their superior goal difference, while Man United have now moved up to 6th.