Mauricio Pochettino is of the opinion that Chelsea’s 2-0 win against Sheffield United came at a very important time, as the Blues prepare to play in the Carabao Cup later this week.

Chelsea will on Tuesday, welcome Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge for their Carabao Cup quarter final clash.

Pochettino’s side were in dire need of a lift in spirit after losing two of their last three, including defeats to Manchester United and Everton away from home.

They got exactly what they needed with the game against Sheffield on Saturday afternoon, though, thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Nicolas Jackson, who left it until the second period to strike.

In his post-match presser, Pochettino expressed happiness with the performance and result, while taking time to also appreciate Benoit Badiashile.

The coach said: “I think collectively it was good. Benoit, after long time away because he suffered a big injury, now he’s recovering his feeling and this is good. The challenge for us now is to recover all the players.

“It’s going to be difficult because we had a few injuries last week, and then we need to try to get the best from the squad which has a good balance if they are all fit.

“I am happy because this was important and now we are thinking about Newcastle on Tuesday, an important game to go to the semi-final. Newcastle are a great team but I think we can feel confident.”