'We will not use it as an excuse' - Thomas Tuchel refuses to blame late Covid disruption after Chelsea held by Everton
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Published 16/12/2021 at 23:15 GMT
Thomas Tuchel lost strikers Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner, as well as winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, after positive tests for Covid-19 on matchday, while Kai Havertz was also held out of the contest awaiting the results of his test. The German manager instead bemoaned a lack of "rhythm" as a battling Everton secured a strong away point.
Thiago Silva of Chelsea FC reacts after the Premier League match between Chelsea and Everton at Stamford Bridge on December 16, 2021 in London, England.
Image credit: Getty Images
Thomas Tuchel refused to blame significant late Covid-19 disruption after Chelsea were held by Everton.
The German was shorn of Romelu Lukaku, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Timo Werner for the encounter after positive coronavirus tests, while Kai Havertz was also excluded from the matchday squad with the club awaiting his test results.
Chelsea nonetheless dominated the game at Stamford Bridge, having 80% of possession and firing 23 shots, but breaching the goal of Jordan Pickford only once.
Mason Mount's opener was cancelled out by young defender Jarrad Branthwaite's stretching finish from an Anthony Gordon free-kick just minutes after Chelsea had taken a 70th minute lead, and Everton clung on to earn an excellent point away from home.
Two more dropped points mean Chelsea slip further back from fellow Premier League title-chasers Manchester City and Liverpool, who both won this week.
Tuchel would not point to the unfortunate turn of events that left him without genuine striking options as the reason for another disappointing night for his side, instead saying Chelsea failed to find the required "rhythm" to put the game beyond doubt.
"It is obvious we miss a lot of players and big personalities, regular starters," Tuchel told BT Sport.
"It's a fact but we will not use it as an excuse. Football is never like a one-reason game where you can have one reason why things go this way. But one thing is for sure the chances we missed today, we could've been 2-0, 3-0 up but we were playing with fire.
"We missed big chances in the first half to get the result straight. And in the second half, we didn't find the rhythm consistently and we tried to bring on energy from the bench and got the lead. But then we gave away the lead from a free-kick."
A credible away draw was a timely result for under-fire Everton boss Rafael Benitez, back at his former club, who had faced renewed scrutiny on his future at Everton after a timid performance against Crystal Palace.
Sections of the Everton support had booed the Spaniard's decision to take off Richarlison during that 3-1 defeat, but the Brazilian was later revealed to have been troubled by a niggle in his calf.
Without their most potent attacking threat at Stamford Bridge, Benitez's side adopted a defensive approach and defended resolutely.
"We had so many issues with injury and illness, the way we reacted to the goal showed big character," Benitez beamed of Everton's fighting spirit. "It's a big point, but also the way we won the point [was encouraging]. You saw the celebrations with the fans."
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