Pochettino Apologizes To Anthony Taylor After Hard Protests When Chelsea Vs Manchester City 4-4

Raheem Sterling scored for Chelsea (photo: twitter @chelseafc)

JAKARTA - Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has apologized to referee Anthony Taylor after his dramatic post-match protests with Manchester City which ended in a 4-4 draw, Sunday 12 November, or Monday morning WIB.

Pochettino was deeply disappointed by Taylor's decision to blow the full-time whistle when Chelsea appeared to be launching a quick counter-attack in the 98th minute in an exciting match at Stamford Bridge. Pochettino got angry on the pitch, shouted at the referee, and had to be calmed down by his coaching staff.

Speaking after the game to Sky Sports, Pochettino quickly apologized for his actions, blaming high emotions during the dramatic match.

"I thought maybe I crossed the line because I was very emotional on the sidelines. I wanted to apologize to everyone and the referee because [then] I realized [my reaction]," he said.

"I'm very happy with the game, and he [the referee] is trying to help. I want to encourage players to keep moving, moving, going, being brave, knowing that we are facing an amazing team," he said.

Despite looking angry at the end of the game, Pochettino without a doubt was very happy with his team's appearance in a 4-4 draw against Manchester City. The Blues were more than able to fight the 2022/23 treble champion, scoring a viable scorer goal in the 94th minute, thanks to City's former City player Cole Palmer.

Speaking of his team's performances, Pochettino said he was "very proud". "I'm very proud, very happy. The players deserve credit for the incredible performance tonight. We are facing a team that for me is the best team in the world," he said.

"There were too many incidents that happened during the game that made me very proud, because the way we manage the game is very good," said the former Tottenham manager.

"Of course there are always things that need to be improved but this is a process. It's a journey where we want to build projects from scratch. Experience and games like this are very important and will improve our players and teams, but now we need to use them and translate them into the future," said Pochettino.

The draw lifts Chelsea to the top half of the table ahead of November's international break. The Blues will return to domestic action on November 25 against Newcastle United at St. James' Park.