Sterling disappointed at Chelsea's late Man City lapse as new demand issued

18 February 2024 , 10:00

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Chelsea's head coach Mauricio Pochettino congratulates Raheem Sterling as he leaves the pitch (Image: Darren Staples)

Raheem Sterling scored his second goal of the season against Manchester City but was left frustrated his side could not convert their lead to a win at the Etihad Stadium.

Sterling put Chelsea into the lead with an impressive first half finish that saw him cut back onto his right foot to leave Kyle Walker stumbling past him, before dispatching the ball past Ederson. The Blues were unable to sustain their lead however, as Manchester City dominated the latter stages and Rodri popped up with an equaliser.

The result saw the west London side go undefeated against the Premier League champions this term following the 4-4 draw at Stamford Bridge earlier in the season. However, even with Chelsea in the bottom half of the table, it was frustrating for Sterling that his side did not come away with more.

Chelsea had less than half of the possession their opponents recorded but were still able to find the target more often. The Blues often lacked a clinical edge however.

"I think in the end we can be pleased with a good point but I also think there’s a bit of disappointment not to win the game," said Sterling. "We had chances to finish the game off, although so did they in fairness, but we had some really good opportunities to seal the win.

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"The game plan was set by the manager and I think it worked really well. We caused City a lot of issues on the counter and created a number of chances. Coming to the Etihad, we knew they would have a lot of the ball and would use it really well. We knew we would have difficult moments and we just had to stay with them, use our brains and opportunities would come in the transition.

Raheem Sterling and Mauricio Pochettino (Chelsea FC)

"That happened in both the first and second half and in the end, we’re a little disappointed not to leave with all three points."

He added: "It’s just slightly tinged with the disappointment that we couldn’t get the win following such a strong performance. But that’s what we need to show going forward, keeping that consistency."

Mauricio Pochettino was pleased with the contribution of his charge and highlighted his defensive contribution in addition to his goal. Chelsea's head coach said Sterling produced an important performance in his 64 minutes on the pitch.

Pochettino said: "Of course. It's important, his experience and of course an offensive player needs to score to feel confidence and he was working really hard for the team. He defended well, he was always in the right position to help the team when needing to make the effort, being in a position to help the defensive line, Chilwell.

"Yes, so important performance. So happy and he is helping to achieve a good point for us."

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Scott Trotter