From villain to hero, Tuchel praises his captain Jorginho

LONDON • Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel praised his captain Jorginho for overcoming a howler that gave Manchester United a breakaway goal, and recovering his confidence to score a penalty that earned the English Premier League leaders a point on Sunday.

The German said the Italy midfielder had been distracted by the Stamford Bridge floodlights when he failed to control a lofted ball which allowed Jadon Sancho to race past him for the opener five minutes into the second half.

"It's very unusual, a mistake like this and to concede a goal like this for us in general, and especially with Jorgi," Tuchel said.

"I think he misjudged the situation and he was heavily disturbed from the lights so he did not see the ball in the end.

"But it takes a lot of courage and personality to not be affected during the match, to have the courage to take the penalty for the equaliser in a crucial moment."

Jorginho has missed three consecutive penalties playing for the Azzurri, with the last two against Switzerland proving costly as the European champions now have to navigate the play-offs in order to make next year's World Cup.

For a moment on Sunday, it looked like Chelsea defender Marcos Alonso wanted to take the spot-kick, awarded after United defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka fouled Thiago Silva in the box.

But Jorginho held his nerve and sent United goalkeeper David de Gea the wrong way to level the contest in the 69th minute.

The result - Chelsea's second 1-1 home top-flight draw in a row after they were held by Burnley earlier this month - leaves the Blues just a point clear of reigning champions Manchester City (29) and two ahead of Liverpool.

But Tuchel said he was not overly unhappy with the way his team played as they dominated the visitors and created 24 chances to United's three, and the hosts also hit the bar via Antonio Rudiger.

"This match, it's hard to imagine that you can drop points because we were the better team and we were the team who set the rhythm and intensity," he added. "We're disappointed but we have no regrets. This can happen in football, we know it. It does not feel good when it happens, but it's like this."

There was equal frustration from Michael Carrick, who oversaw his second match as United's caretaker boss prior to Ralf Rangnick's appointment yesterday, and his players.

De Gea told Sky Sports. "We defended well, they missed big chances and the one they give us... we score. It is not enough to draw but at the moment it is a big point."

The Red Devils are in eighth place on 18 points but their last two games have been spirited and the next month presents a good opportunity to rack up some wins with Newcastle, Norwich, Brentford and Burnley to come.

REUTERS