Mauricio Pochettino: 'Chelsea belief strengthened with win over Sheffield United'

The Blues went into Saturday's fixture against Sheffield United at Stamford Bridge as clear favourites to prevail, but having lost three of their previous four matches.

Despite dominating possession throughout the contest, it took until the 53rd minute for the West Londoners to take the lead through Cole Palmer.

He then turned provided to tee up Nicolas Jackson for a match-clinching second as Chelsea ultimately cruised to a much-deserved three points.

Remaining as low as 10th position in the standings and sitting 11 points adrift of fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, Pochettino remains under pressure to deliver in the short term.

Nevertheless, reflecting on the win over the Blades, the Argentine talked up the performance against opponents who kept men behind the ball, a strategy that Chelsea have often struggled against in 2023-24.

Speaking to Match Of The Day, Pochettino said: "I'm very pleased. The performance was good. It's always good against a team who play aggressively with a low block.

"In the second half we changed the position of Palmer and Raheem Sterling, we tried to put Palmer and Mudryk in a better position in front of goal.

"I'm confident, even when we lose. I really believe in the players and the club. Now it's about to use that in the next competition in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup."

Chelsea head into that fixture against Newcastle United with the tie arguably viewed as their most important of the season as they search for an avenue back into Europe.

The early exit of Manchester United and Newcastle in the Champions League has reduced the chances of the Premier League being handed a fifth spot in next season's competition.