Mauricio Pochettino was pleased with his side’s response following a disappointing first half as Chelsea came back from a goal down to beat Crystal Palace 3-1 in a Premier League fixture on Monday.

The Eagles had taken the lead in the first half but Chelsea responded 90 minutes after the restart as Conor Gallagher fired home. It was then a case of the late show at Selhurst Park as the midfielder completed his brace in the 90th minute before Enzo Fernandez’s composed finish made it three in the dying moments.

“After the first 45 minutes I was very disappointed with the performance,” explained Pochettino, adding: “But that is the challenge in every single game. We played a fantastic game against Aston Villa and then after that first 45 minutes, you feel really disappointed.

“We spoke at half time that we need to avoid approaching a game this way or playing in this way. We were so flat and we can’t perform in this way. In the second half, we started really well, but I think it was a tough game. In the end, I’m really pleased because in this type of game, even if we didn’t play 45 minutes in the way we wanted, it’s useful to build our confidence, analyse, and prepare to be consistent.”

He continued: “We are a team where we perform sometimes better when we have space and the possibility to run. We use the transition very well, but when the opponent plays like they played today with a low block, we need to show more patience and move the ball quickly. We were so slow in the way we decided to move the ball.”