Chelsea defender Cesar Azpilicueta admits there was a lot of anger at halftime of their 1-1 draw at Liverpool.
Emotions were spilling over at the end of the first period as the Blues felt aggrieved at the injustice of Reece James’s red card, yet Azpilicueta claimed those feelings quickly gave way to a sense of calm when the players got back to the dressing room.
Manager Thomas Tuchel was dealt another blow as N’Golo Kante was forced off with an ankle injury but the players quickly reset themselves and refocused on the new task at hand.
“Of course we were angry and everyone had emotions at half-time but we had to adapt,” he revealed. “It was important for us to calm down and find a way to fight together as a team, to have this challenge in a tough place like Anfield.
“Everybody defended really well, right from Romelu who had a game where he had to sacrifice for the team. We had to make two changes at half-time and had one red card but we adapted really well to the situation.”
Azpilicueta moved to 20th on Chelsea’s all-time list of appearance-makers. Only John Terry, Frank Lampard and Petr Cech have played more in the Premier League than the defender, an achievement that understandably garners pride.
“I wish it was three points,” he said told the club’s website. “I spent my birthday here in Liverpool but tomorrow is a day off so I can celebrate it with my family before I fly to Spain with the national team.
“I feel really proud to play my 300th Premier League game in the toughest league in the world.”
