While the air at Stamford Bridge had the feel of a game that counted for little, with just 180 minutes of football remaining for the Blues this season, Thomas Tuchel is not a coach to not expect the very best from his players. The Blues boss noted that Newcastle's win over Arsenal had taken the pressure off at Cobham, but Chelsea still required points to secure third position in the table.
The German coach said: "Everyone is a bit more relaxed, feels less tension, a bit less pressure than normal. I think that's normal. We come from a long spell of a lot of matches in different competitions, so we don't feel the same pressure and tension as normal, but that should not keep us from performing.
"Finishing third would reflect what we've built and what we deserve, so it's on us to take it. Nobody will give it to us, we have to take it. Even if you maybe feel a bit more relaxed before a game, it does not mean that you cannot be switched on and totally focused when the whistle goes. That's the challenge for today."
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A glorious summer evening was on the cards. It was not long before Tuchel expressed a little bit of tension and did not look very relaxed. James Maddison took just six minutes to score past Edouard Mendy with an impressive strike, but the 48-year-old was far from happy with what is saw.
Tuchel's temperature rose when following Kasper Schmeichel's long ball. Marcos Alonso failed to track and barely acknowledged Timothy Castagne's run to claim the ball and soon put pressure on Antonio Rudiger. The Chelsea's coach raised his arms in the air in disbelief immediately.
When Maddison latched onto the ball moments later after a deflection from Rudiger, he turned back to the dugout and uttered an unsavoury word or two to the bench. Moments later, he was back at the sideline, arms aloft and staring in the direction of his left-back, who didn't seem to dare look in the direction of his coach.
In classic enigmatic fashion, it was Alonso who put the Blues on level terms with a fine finish from Reece James' cross. Perhaps reinforcing that Alonso has been the Ben Chilwell replacement Chelsea required during his injury absence but not always the ideal player to fulfil the standards Tuchel hopes to reach.
