https://www.chelseafc.com/en/news/2022/01/03/
azpilicueta-on-what-cost-us-the-win-and-why-mane-should-have-see
Azpilicueta on what cost us the win and why Mane should have seen red
03 Jan 2022
Captain Cesar Azpilicueta believes Chelsea gave everything to get the
three points against Liverpool but ultimately a lack of 'freshness' cost
us a vital win, while refereeing decisions went against us again.
https://i.imgur.com/dYHjqzX.jpg
The Spaniard praised the fighting spirit and character of Chelsea whilst
also suggesting we lacked a cutting edge at times in front of the
visitors' net.
'We were 2-0 down. We fought to come back. We wanted more, but we never
lost the trust,' the captain said post-match. 'Mateo scored an amazing
goal, Christian equaliser. We felt the second half we could push for the
third goal.
'We started really well. They couldn't make two passes. We had few chances
where we could be 1-0 up. In two actions, we were 2-0 down when we were
playing a very good game. We had to fight our way back. We left everything
on the pitch.
'Both teams had moments. When they were 2-0 up, they had a clear chance to
score a third to kill the game. After this we played well, had a few
chances, but in the last 25-30 metres, we lacked confidence, freshness.'
A point at the Bridge extends our unbeaten home run to eight matches in
the Premier League, however five of these have been draws.
'Of course [it's a good result for Man City],' stated the skipper. 'They
are at the top. It's football. They've been setting the standards in the
Premier League high. It was up to us to close the gap at the beginning of
the season. We need to raise our level.'
The Spaniard was also on the end of a controversial refereeing decision
after Sadio Mane caught him with a flailing arm just seconds into the
encounter.
'It's a clear red,' he added. 'I don't mind if it's six seconds into the
game. It's a red. I don't understand.
https://i.imgur.com/LWAriDo.jpg
Mane was only booked for an early clash with Azpi
'The first action is a clear red card. We are getting these decisions
against us which could change the game.'