October 28th 2023.
Mauricio Pochettino has apologised to Brentford after a heated incident between Jesus Perez, his assistant, and the visitors' coaching staff during their 2-0 defeat to Chelsea on Saturday. The result saw Chelsea overtaken in the Premier League table by their west London neighbours, slipping down to 11th place.
Pochettino’s side had made a promising start to the match, dominating possession and having Brentford penned back inside their own box for most of the first half. However, despite the pressure and numerous chances, they were unable to convert into a goal and were made to pay when Ethan Pinnock headed the visitors ahead on the half-hour mark. Bryan Mbuemo then sealed the victory for Brentford in stoppage time.
Tensions boiled over in the second half and referee Simon Hooper sent off Perez after he clashed with Brentford’s coaching staff. The Argentine apologised for his long-serving assistant, saying he was only trying to get the ball quickly from in front of the visitors’ dugout to restart the match. As a result, Perez was absent from the post-match press conference.
Reflecting on the defeat, the Chelsea boss admitted they should have scored in the first half and were not clinical enough in front of goal. He said they needed some luck to score, but ultimately conceded that the goals were their own mistake.
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