Mauricio Pochettino castigated his players for lacking heart and hunger after Chelsea were booed off for failing to beat 10-man Burnley.
Pochettino is a manager under pressure after his side failed to capitalise on a first-half red card for Burnley defender Lorenz Assignon.
Twice the hosts took the lead through Cole Palmer but Burnley – who had manager Vincent Kompany sent to the stands for complaining about the Assignon decision – hit back through Josh Cullen and Dara O’Shea.
Both equalisers came after going down to 10 men – and Burnley came close to winning it late on when substitute Jay Rodriguez’s header smacked the crossbar.
Chelsea showed insufficient fight to dominate opponents who have been in a relegation fight all season, and Pochettino made no attempt to suggest otherwise.
“It is more here and more here than in your legs,” he said, pointing to first his heart and then his head. “It is more about to be strong like a group, like a team.
“We did not show the capacity, the hunger – not the minimum to compete in the Premier League. That is why I am so upset and disappointed.
“The team showed energy, yes. But when we don’t have the ball we don’t show the same energy. It is difficult to accept not winning a must-win game.”
Chelsea fans had barracked Pochettino over his substitutions in the previous game at Stamford Bridge, the 4-2 win over Leicester before the international break that saw an FA Cup semi-final berth clinched.
This time the boos came on the final whistle and although the dissent was in no way prolonged they were further proof that Pochettino’s job security is precarious.
Chelsea had an inkling that it might not be their day when VAR ruled out Axel Disasi’s 20th-minute goal, with the defender bundling in Mykhailo Mudryk’s ball to the back post off an arm.
The game’s main moment of controversy arrived five minutes before half time and again involved Mudryk.
Assignon sent the Ukrainian toppling to the turf but although referee Darren England’s penalty award was firmly in the soft category it was eventually upheld by VAR John Brooks and his assistant Akil Howson. A second yellow card – Assignon had previously been booked for a foul on Mudryk – sent Kompany into meltdown.
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