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Mauricio Pochettino has reacted to Chelsea’s hard-fought victory over Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup.

The Blues trailed last season’s finalists 1-0 until Mykhailo Mudryk struck late-on to force the affair into a penalty shootout.

Chelsea later won the shootout 4-2, with Djordje Petrovic making a stunning save to deny Matt Ritchie.

For Pochettino, Chelsea were deserved winners.

Pochettino stated on the result: “I am so pleased and the players deserve some credit. After conceding the way we did, we didn’t deserve to concede, it can affect any team. We reacted really well and dominated the game against a very good team like Newcastle.

“Then we keep pushing in the second half and make some changes and of course, try to provide the team with some impact. The most important in football is to believe until the end and that was possible because we keep believing and then always we know penalties are a lottery. Of course, talent and quality.

“Of course, so pleased because our objective before the game was to go through to the semi-final. We are in the semi-final and now we need to move on and wait tomorrow and then be focused and be ready for the next Premier League game.”

The Argentine then added: “I think these type of games are important, the way we can achieve the way to go through to the semi-final.

“Always it is so important. Like it is important when you don’t play well, games like Everton and Newcastle away from home, to realise in which area we need to improve. Both are really important and to really feel for this group, in the way we want to evolve and develop the ideas.

“So pleased because I think when you see the whole squad, players that weren’t involved in the game, players that were injured but they wanted to share the happiness in the middle of the pitch.

“I think it looks like we are a healthy group of players that only need time and our responsibility is to guide them to really improve every day. With time I think we are going to create a very good team that can compete and increase the competition and can be in the place that Chelsea should be.”