Mauricio Pochettino explains referee outburst after Chelsea 4-4 Man City

Mauricio Pochettino has apologised to Anthony Taylor for his outburst after the full-time whistle of Chelsea’s dramatic 4-4 draw with Manchester City.

The Chelsea manage was livid with Taylor’s decision to blow up for full-time while Chelsea looked to be on the brink of mounting a swift counter attack in the 98th minute of a thrilling game at Stamford Bridge. Pochettino stormed onto the pitch shouting at the referee and had to be restrained by his backroom staff.

Speaking after the game to Sky Sports, Pochettino was quick to apologise for his actions, putting them down to emotions running high during what was a dramatic game of football:

“I think maybe I crossed the limit because I was so emotional there on the touchline. I want to apologise to everyone and the referee because [afterwards] then I realised [his reaction].

“I was really pleased with the game, and he [the referee] was trying to help. I wanted to encourage the players to keep moving, going forward, be brave, knowing that we face an amazing team.”

Poch wasn’t happy / Marc Atkins/GettyImages

While visibly angry at full-time, Pochettino will no doubt be delighted with his side’s performance in the 4-4 draw with Manchester City. The Blues more than held their own against the 2022/23 treble winners, scoring a deserved equaliser in the 94th minute – a goal which came courtesy of ex-City man Cole Palmer.

Speaking about his side’s performance, Pochettino said he was “very proud”: “I am very proud, so happy. The players deserve the praise because the performance this evening was amazing. We faced a team that for me is the best team in the world.

“There were too many circumstances that happened during the game that made me very proud, because the way that we managed the game was really good.

“Of course there are always things to improve but it is a process. It is a journey where we want to build a project from zero. This type of experience and games are very important and will improve a lot our players and our team, but now we need to use it and translate into the future.”

The draw moves Chelsea up to the top half of the table heading into the November international break. The Blues will return to domestic action on November 25 against Newcastle United at St. James’ Park.