Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has stated that his side deserved more than they got in the FA Cup semi-final against Chelsea – but said he is determined to move on.
Spurs were beaten 4-2 at Wembley in a frenetic encounter, with the victors riding their luck to some degree and showing a clinical edge when their chances arrived.
Tottenham fought back from a goal down twice to equalise, with fine strikes from Harry Kane and Dele Alli giving the men in white a chance.
However, late long-range goals from Eden Hazard and Nemanja Matic broke Spurs hearts and eliminated the North London club from the competition.
Pochettino has stated that in the aftermath of the game the players are disappointed not to have won, especially given the nature of the Tottenham performance.
“It’s difficult – first of all, we congratulate our opponent and then, yes, it’s a bad feeling and we’re all disappointed because we deserved more,” he told the club’s official website.
“We played well but they were clinical and when you are clinical in football it’s so difficult to win, and they were more clinical than us. We played the football and played in an exciting way, but it wasn’t enough to win the game.
“If you then look how we conceded, we’re a little unlucky. It was always when we were showing a better performance than Chelsea.
“These are the things you cannot control. They shoot and score (the free-kick), the penalty, the first corner we concede another goal and the fourth, after 100 shots maybe you would never score again in that way. That was against us.
“We feel disappointed but now we move on. This is a normal thing that happens in football. To be here fighting against a side like Chelsea, and fighting for the Premier League are important things for us.
“We will move on. The motivation is always there and we will find it again because it’s our passion to play football.”
Tottenham fans will have left Wembley full of sadness but the 2016-17 season has been an undoubted success for the White Hart Lane side.
With a young group continuing to improve, a new stadium on the way and an ambitious manager, the future is bright for the men in white.