Simone Inzaghi believes Inter Milan can head into 2024 with plenty of enthusiasm as his side aim to finish the campaign with more silverware.
The Serie A leaders return to action after the Christmas break at Genoa on Friday night for their final match of the year.
While there was disappointment in defeat by Manchester City in the 2023 Champions League final, Inter lifted both the Supercoppa Italiana and Coppa Italia.
Inzaghi feels Inter can continue to build on progress over the past year as they look to maintain the pace at the top of the table and also make an impact again in Europe, having been drawn against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last 16.
“2023 has been very satisfying. We’ve won a couple of trophies and played a very exciting Champions League final,” Inzaghi told Inter TV.
“It’s nice not to forget what we’ve achieved, but we have plenty of ambition and are looking ahead to the new year with plenty of enthusiasm. We want to go far together with our fans.”
Inzaghi added: “We are happy with our numbers from the first 17 matches. We still have 21 games to play and will need to maintain our excellent attacking and defensive numbers.
“The secret is the real willingness that all the players are displaying.”
Inter should have French defender Benjamin Pavard available again for the trip to Genoa, but Lautaro Martinez, Federico Dimarco and Juan Cuadrado remain out injured.
“The rotation of the squad needs to be a solution and mustn’t become a problem,” Inzaghi said.
“It is something that has served us well during periods where we have had so many matches in quick succession.”
Genoa held Juventus to a 1-1 draw in their last home game and Inzaghi is expecting a stern test against the Rossoblu.
“It will be a hard-fought game,” he said. “Genoa are in good form and have high-quality players and a well-prepared coach who is doing well.
“We will have to be shrewd and play with real intensity.”
Genoa coach Alberto Gilardino hopes his side can produce another positive display to build on their win at Sassuolo ahead of the Christmas break.
“We face the strongest team in the championship, one of the best defences in Europe and a very good coach,” Gilardino said at a press conference.
“We come to play this match after two positive results, so we must face this match in the best way.
“We must not allow ourselves to lose even a millimetre in our approach.
“The boys are eager to get a positive result and have a positive attitude in the match.”
Isco has signed a contract extension with Real Betis until 2027, the club have announced.
The midfield player, who joined Betis from Sevilla in the summer, has scored twice in 17 LaLiga appearances this season.
The former Real Madrid man has been an important player for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, who sit in seventh place ahead of their trip to Celta Vigo next week.
Arnett Gardens extended their unbeaten run across six games when they took the scalp of reigning champions Mount Pleasant FA with a 2-0 victory in an entertaining Wray and Nephew Jamaica Premier League (WNJPL) encounter at the Anthony Spaulding Sports Complex on Wednesday.
After playing out a goalless first half, the ‘Junglists’ eventually broke the deadlock through Kimani Arbouine’s well-driven 54th-minute effort from just outside the 18-yard box.
Jaheim Thomas then capped the win with a delightful 69th-minute volley that beat Shaquan Davis, in goal for Mount Pleasant, all ends up.
With the win, the Xavier Gilbert-coached Arnett Gardens inched up to 21 points, same as second-placed Tivoli Gardens, but with a game in hand. Both are now a solitary point behind Mount Pleasant, who despite the loss, remain atop the standing.
Earlier, Tivoli Gardens through goals from Kimarley Smith (52nd), Howard Morris (62nd) and Alton Lewis (65th) downed Harbour View 3-0 in a lopsided affair. The loss saw Harbour View slipping back to 11th position on 10 points.
Much like Arnett Gardens, Dunbeholden FC continued their unbeaten run with a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Waterhouse FC.
Damion Binns’ 53rd-minute own-goal and Brian Burkett’s 90th-minute strike, was enough to hand Dunbeholden the points, after Javane Bryan (41st) gave Waterhouse the lead.
The win moved Dunbeholden up to fifth on 18 points, same as fifth-placed Portmore United, who edged Vere United 1-0, while Waterhouse are sixth on 15 points.
Meanwhile, Humble Lion secured their first win under the guidance of Vassell Reynolds, as they edged Lime Hall Academy 1-0. The win stopped a three-match losing skid, and moved the Clarendon-based team up to 14 points in ninth position, while promoted Lime Hall remain at the foot of the 14-team standing on four points.
Matchweek 11 Results
Arnett Gardens 2, Mount Pleasant FA 0
Tivoli Gardens 3, Harbour View 0
Humble Lion 1, Lime Hall Academy 0
Waterhouse FC 1, Dunbeholden FC 2
Vere United 0, Portmore United 1
Cavalier 1, Treasure Beach FC 0
Molynes United 2, Montego Bay United 1
Khadija ‘Bunny’ Shaw continues to enjoy an outstanding individual campaign for Manchester City, and, as such, will end the year atop the Barclays Women’s Super League (WSL) scorers list.
The towering Jamaican striker has so far tallied 21 goals in a mere 10 games played so far in the 2023/24 season, and her feat has positioned Manchester City in second on 22 points, three behind leaders Chelsea.
Shaw’s rich vein of form puts her ahead of Aston Villa’s Rachel Daly (18), Bethany England (12) of Tottenham Hotspur, and Brighton Hove and Albion’s Elisabeth Terland (12) in the race for the Golden Boot, heading into the New Year.
The colourful exploits of the 26-year-old Reggae Girl should come as no surprise, as she merely picked up where she left off last season when she broke new ground by notching 31 goals in all competitions, a record across a single campaign for City’s women’s team.
During that season, Shaw was named Women’s Player of the Season in a fan vote, while she was also shortlisted for the Barclays Women’s Super League’s equivalent award.
Shaw finished the 2022/23 season with an astonishing 31 goals in all competitions, surpassing Nikita Parris’ previous highest total of 25 for a Women’s player across a single season. She achieved that tally in just 30 matches, meaning she found the net at a rate greater than once per game.
When you add nine assists onto that total, her overall goal involvements for that campaign stand at an incredible 40.
Shaw scored 20 of those goals in the WSL, two in as many UEFA Women’s Champions League matches, two in two Continental Cup fixtures, and an astonishing seven in three FA Cup appearances.
And by all indications, there will be much more records and scoring feats to come for both Shaw and Manchester City, as her impressive journey will continue at the club until at least 2026.
Noni Madueke believes Chelsea have finally found answers to the goalscoring problems that plagued them last season.
The England Under-21 international came off the bench to fire Mauricio Pochettino’s side to a 2-1 win at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday, slotting the winner from the penalty spot in the 89th minute after being fouled by Eberechi Eze.
Earlier Michael Olise, who nearly became a Chelsea player in the summer, had equalised on the stroke of half-time after the hosts had failed to build on Mykhailo Mudryk’s 13th-minute opener.
There were chances for Mudryk, Nicolas Jackson and Ian Maatsen on his first start to add to the hosts’ tally but a combination of wayward finishing and Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson kept Roy Hodgson’s side in it, until Madueke’s late intervention.
Chelsea netted only 38 Premier League goals last campaign, their lowest in the league in almost a century, but already have 31 at the halfway stage this time around.
They have been boosted by the return to fitness of last season’s Bundesliga top-scorer Christopher Nkunku who made a full debut against Palace and was a threat at number 10.
And Madueke feels confident that a corner has been turned.
“We play good football and are scoring goals now,” said the 21-year-old. “I remember last season we weren’t scoring those goals.
“We’re probably conceding a few too many, but I just feel it’s that consistency we need to get down. Once we do, we’ll be a really good team.
“We’ve had some very good performances this season where we haven’t got the rub of the green. It’s a process and where we are now will not define us come the end of the season.”
It was Chelsea’s third league win in a row at home and their fourth in all competitions, though that run has been cut with a streak of four consecutive away losses.
It is their longest sequence of victories at Stamford Bridge since October 2022 and saw them climb back into the top half of the table.
“(This) was a must-win game,” said Madueke. “There have been similar games in the season that we should have won and haven’t quite got the rub of the green, so I’m happy we’ve done the business and got the three points.”
Madueke also reflected on his impact from the bench having been handed just his eighth league appearance or the season, of which only one has been from the start.
He added: “It’s been a stop-start campaign for me. I’ve had little niggles, little injuries, things that haven’t quite gone my way.
“I’m happy to have an impact off the bench (against Palace) and whether I start the next game or have the same impact off the bench is up to the manager.”
Steven Naismith praised Hearts goalkeeper Zander Clark for “a brilliant year” and for the way he has dealt with the increased pressure of having stalwart Craig Gordon pushing him for a starting place recently.
The 31-year-old former St Johnstone stopper made his debut for the Jambos a year ago and marked his 50th appearance with a penalty save and an 18th clean sheet in all competitions since taking the gloves as Hearts pulled off a dramatic 1-0 win at city rivals Hibernian on Wednesday.
Clark stepped in after Gordon suffered a double-leg break on Christmas Eve last year at a time when he was established number one for both Hearts and Scotland.
With the 40-year-old having made a remarkable recovery and forced himself back into contention for involvement in the matchday squad this month, Naismith paid tribute to Clark for the way he has coped with the spectre of such a highly-regarded goalkeeper breathing down his neck.
“I think there has been pressure put on externally,” said the Hearts boss. “I have been consistent with what I’ve said: Zander is a top goalie who has had a brilliant year.
“The circumstance he is dealing with is that there is a legend of the club, an unbelievable goalie, who is back fit.
“That is competition for places but it isn’t easy to deal with, especially as a goalie when there is only one position.
“But Zander has dealt with it perfectly. He is a top goalie. He took his chance a year ago, he’s come in and made his Scotland debut and he’s made a massive impact for us (against Hibs).”
Clark has kept 10 clean sheets in 19 league matches this term, underpinning Hearts’ recent surge to third place in the cinch Premiership.
Apart from free-scoring Lawrence Shankland, who snatched a stoppage-time winner on Wednesday with his 16th strike of the campaign, Hearts have struggled to get their forwards firing.
Asked how he would deal with the departure of the talismanic Scotland forward if he was to be sold in January, the manager said: “That’s part and parcel of football.
“I would want to get to a point where if a player leaves or you get a bad injury, you have a list there you can comfortably go at.
“We had it with Josh Ginnelly in the summer, who was a big part of last season for me. He moved on and we had to make different signings. When players go out of the team it creates an opportunity for someone else.
“I was at Kilmarnock when Kris Boyd scored all our goals. He went to Rangers in the January and everybody’s saying ‘what’s going to happen now?’ but me and Colin Nish stepped up and scored goals.
“It happens at every club. No matter who leaves, an opportunity arises for someone else.
“I’m comfortable with our squad. I think we’ve got a good squad. (Kenneth) Vargas, (Yutaro) Oda and (Kyosuke) Tagawa are still young.
“They have good moments and they have moments that can be better. But I think over time they can bring real quality to the squad. I’m comfortable with it all.”
Defender Kyle Walker insists Manchester City have now drawn a line under their stellar achievements in 2023 and have set their sights on a strong second half to the season.
Capturing the Club World Cup in Saudi Arabia last week “finished the piece” in Walker’s eyes in a year when a first Champions League title followed Premier League and FA Cup triumphs, with the UEFA Super Cup added for good measure in August.
Questions have been asked about whether Pep Guardiola’s side are lacking something this season after a run of one win in six Premier League matches, but the come-from-behind 3-1 win at Everton showed they are a long way from giving up on their title defence.
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And Walker believes with 20 matches still to come, trailing leaders Liverpool by five points, now is when City will come into their own.
“On the back of winning the Champions League we desperately wanted to win (in Saudi) and finish off the piece. It was good to go and finally tick that off the list,” said the 33-year-old.
“It’s important now to draw a line under it and it’s a big end to the season when we’re in the competition we want to fight for again.
“I don’t think there was many things going wrong on the field except the results. We were playing well, but this game is about winning and we weren’t doing that.
“But that’s football and in the Premier League you can never let your guard down, you’ve got to keep going until the last minute.”
The winning mentality of City’s players is one thing which is not in question after the consistency they have shown over several seasons and that was in evidence again at Goodison Park after falling behind to the Toffees’ first attempt on goal in the first half despite dominating.
Brilliant goals from the impressive Phil Foden and Bernardo Silva either side of a Julian Alvarez penalty turned things around to move City back into the top four and set their sights on the summit again.
“I think it shows the determination and belief in this squad. That’s what this team is all about, digging in, not quitting,” added Walker.
“We’re all good players, we can all play out there, but when the going gets tough it’s about a collective team performance that gets each individual if they’ve made a mistake or they’re doing well, to get you out of that stuff.”
Foden’s performance, playing centrally, was certainly a major factor in the turnaround and not just because of his goal.
In the extended absence of Kevin De Bruyne, who is edging closer to a comeback after a hamstring injury sustained in August, City have at times lacked that creative spark and the England international is one who can give them that.
“Phil’s unbelievable, the talent that boy possesses is incredible, but with this manager and this team and the calibre of players we’ve got, Phil needs to do it week in and week out,” said Walker.
“I think this season he’s really come into his own and took the responsibility on, where we’re missing Kevin or Gundo or Riyad (departed duo Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez).
“But I’m not patting him on the back. He needs to keep doing what he’s doing because I think the sky is the limit for him.
“Resting on a couple of good games is not going to put you in that calibre of the best footballers in the world.
“He’s got the potential, he needs to make sure the drive is still there, he keeps concentrating, keeps putting in the performances that he is doing.”
Wolves boss Gary O’Neil hopes Hwang Hee-chan will be fit to face Everton on Saturday despite going off injured at Brentford.
Hwang hit two first-half goals in the 4-1 win in west London but limped off before half-time with a back problem.
The 27-year-old has scored 10 Premier League goals this season, although Wolves will miss him for up to four matches when he jets off with South Korea for the Asia Cup next month.
“It’s just a back spasm, he’ll be fine for the Asia Cup. Hopefully we can get him back for our game against Everton as well,” said O’Neil.
“We’ll see. It’s a tight turnaround but it was only a back spasm and he’s moving a bit better than he was when he came off. Let’s see how he does over the next couple of days.
“It’s 10 goals for him now, so an unbelievable return. But I do have big faith in everybody, whether we have to play someone else or whether we have to use some of the under-23s or under-21s who are already on the bench then no problem.”
Mario Lemina and Jean-Ricner Bellegarde were also on target at the Gtech Stadium as Brentford imploded defensively.
Yoane Wissa pulled one back but the return of Ivan Toney following his suspension for breaking betting rules, likely to be at home to Nottingham Forest on January 20, cannot come soon enough with the Bees hovering just four points above the relegation zone.
“I think either if we were number one in the league, bottom or mid-table, we would look forward to getting Ivan back,” said boss Thomas Frank.
“It’s getting closer. We had an in-house game the other day and he scored two goals. I looked at him and he looked pretty good. It will be just like a new signing.”
What the papers say
Newcastle United are confident of landing England midfielder Kalvin Phillips from Manchester City , reports the Daily Telegraph. Juventus, Everton and Crystal Palace are also interested in the 28-year-old.
Manager Mikel Arteta says Arsenal are prepared to bolster the squad in January after injuries left them “exposed”, according to The Guardian. Arteta said the club would “try to make the right calls”.
Raphael Varane, 30, is being chased by former club Real Madrid and Bayern Munich, according to the Daily Mirror via Spanish outlet Sport. The Manchester United defender can negotiate a summer move from January with his contract up at the end of the season.
Any moves by Manchester United in the January transfer window will need to be cleared by Ineos after the company’s deal to buy a 25% share of the club.
Social media round-upPlayers to watch
Matthijs de Ligt: Arsenal are unlikely to make a move for the Dutch defender, 24, from Bayern Munich but he remains on their radar, reports The Athletic.
Antonee Robinson: Liverpool are interested in Fulham’s US full-back, 26, for a potential January signing, says 90 Min.
Former Chelsea and Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech set a new Premier League record of 170 clean sheets on this day in 2015.
Cech moved ahead of David James’ previous best of 169 in the all-time list after Arsenal’s 2-0 win against Bournemouth at the Emirates Stadium.
He said at the time: “It’s a great personal achievement and I felt really proud at the end of the game because if you look at the names in the clean-sheet numbers and you see all those fantastic goalkeepers who had been playing and are still playing in this league then obviously it is a great achievement to top the list.”
The former Czech Republic keeper went on to rack up 32 more clean sheets for the Gunners in the English top flight to extend his current record to 202.
Cech became the first goalkeeper to register 200 shutouts in Arsenal’s 3-0 home win against Watford in 2018 after saving Troy Deeney’s penalty.
Having racked up 162 Premier League clean sheets during his 11-year career with Chelsea, Cech went on to notch another 40 with Arsenal before retiring at the end of the 2018-19 season.
He brought down the curtain on a glittering career after Arsenal were thumped 4-1 in his final match by former club Chelsea in the Europa League final in Baku.
The former Rennes goalkeeper returned to Stamford Bridge as a technical director upon his retirement as former team-mate Frank Lampard took the helm as manager in west London.
Chelsea registered the then 38-year-old in their Premier League squad in 2020 as a precautionary move to help in any possible coronavirus-related availability crisis.
Cech, who made 124 appearances in total for the Czech Republic during a 14-year international career, signed for National Ice Hockey League Division Two side Guildford Phoenix in 2019.
The 41-year-old joined NIHL Division One side Oxford City Stars in the summer of 2023 after a spell with Chelmsford Chieftains and switched to Elite League side Belfast Giants on loan in November.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola believes their 3-1 victory in a “massive” game at Everton will serve as a reminder to their rivals not to write them off.
City arrived back from Saudi Arabia as Club World Cup winners looking to correct a record which had seen them win just once in six Premier League matches and drop off the pace in the title race.
But while they were away, results went in their favour which meant winning their two matches in hand on Liverpool would reduce the deficit at the top to just two points, and the first of those was achieved after they recovered from former winger Jack Harrison’s opener with goals from Phil Foden, Julian Alvarez – from the penalty spot – and Bernardo Silva.
“Really, really important. It was a massive game for us, coming from Saudi Arabia,” said Guardiola.
“We were really pleased with how we reacted and it proved again how special this group of players is and the mentality that we have in our bones.
“We want to be there. I know we are not top of the league, (but) a lot of things are going to happen.
“I never saw a Premier League where every game the teams down low and mid-table can beat everyone. There will be a lot of surprises and the thing is to be there.”
Guardiola said the Club World Cup was not only a distraction, but also helped refocus the players’ minds.
“I remember on the plane coming back from Saudi Arabia I listened to the players when they didn’t know I was listening and they started to talk about Everton,” he added.
“I said ‘wow, this is my team’. I have the feeling they still want to try.
“We play many games this season and people say we are not the same. We have lost one of the last 13 (not including the Club World Cup). We don’t talk enough about how good we are.”
The only downside to the game was an ankle problem for John Stones, who left the stadium wearing a protective boot, on only his fifth Premier League start of a season already significantly affected by injury.
“Hopefully the damage isn’t big and he can come back soon,” said the City boss, who is also hopeful Erling Haaland and midfielder Kevin De Bruyne will be available soon.
Haaland has missed six matches with a foot problem while De Bruyne has not played since August because of a hamstring injury.
“He (Haaland) is training alone and getting better, it’s a question of when the pain will disappear,” he said.
“He’s not a skinny guy like Phil Foden, he’s huge and tall so it is more difficult sometimes.
“Kevin is close, but he had fatigue yesterday and we have to be careful. If you don’t handle the timings good you can get injured again.
“I’d love for him to play the next game or Huddersfield (in the FA Cup), but what is important is keeping him fit for a long time, not for one game or another.”
Everton manager Sean Dyche was frustrated by the award of the penalty for handball against Amadou Onana that allowed City to take the lead through Alvarez, but did not use it as an excuse.
“I don’t have a clue. No-one does. Is that deliberate? Of course not. I don’t know where you are supposed to put your hands,” he said.
“The lawmakers are making all these mad rules. I don’t know why they don’t leave the game alone. All the managers are frustrated with it. Maybe the referees are. The players definitely are.
“If he deliberately did that he must be some keeper. His reactions were cat-like. I’ve never seen anything like it.
“But they are still a top side. We know they make chances and you have to try to stop those, which we didn’t do.”
Steven Naismith believes Lawrence Shankland is well on his way to becoming a Hearts legend after his stoppage-time winner against city rivals Hibernian further endeared him to supporters.
The talismanic captain overcame the disappointment of an early penalty miss to score the only goal of a tense Edinburgh derby in the third minute of time added on with what opposing manager Nick Montgomery described as “a moment of quality”.
Shankland produced a lovely touch to take down a long kick-out from goalkeeper Zander Clark before creating space for himself in the box and curling a stunning shot high past David Marshall.
It was the Scotland forward’s 44th goal in a year and a half with Hearts and his 16th strike this term, making him one of the fastest-scoring Jambos hitmen of all time.
“I don’t think he is far off it (becoming a legend),” said the manager. “With his goal record, his goal return, are there many better than him and John Robertson (Hearts’ record goalscorer)? I’m not so sure.
“He is in that bracket for me. And I think there is still more to come. His goal return is unbelievable, but that’s his easiest part because he has done it his whole career.
“His hold-up play now, his standing in the game is miles from where it was when he was at Ayr or Dundee united.
“He understands the game, he is now a leader, he is the captain. He is an all-round centre-forward who I would argue is now the best finisher in Scotland.”
Shankland hit the post with a fifth-minute penalty before Hibs forward Martin Boyle saw a spot-kick pushed on to the woodwork by Clark in the 14th minute.
Naismith was pleased his side were able to keep a 10th clean sheet in 19 league matches as they kept themselves two points clear of Kilmarnock in third place with a game in hand.
“I don’t think the game was particularly great, it lacked quality in general,” said Naismith. “Some of our build-up was decent but then that calmness to find the right pass, we didn’t pick the right pass.
“It was a mental first 15 minutes with two (missed) penalties, but then when you have someone like Shanks it’s never over.
“Us having a good defensive structure and not giving up goals always gives us a chance. And when Shanks is there, you know that if he gets a chance he is more than likely to put it away, which he did.”
Hibs boss Montgomery admitted Shankland was the difference on a night when he felt his team merited at least a point.
“It’s a cruel game at times,” he said. “Both teams would probably have been happy with a draw, but it’s one moment of quality.
“It’s a quality strike and it’s why there’s so much in the media about him moving on. He’s one of the best strikers in the league and, apart from that one moment, we did keep him quiet.
“For large periods of the game we were very good, we just lacked that final pass, that final bit of quality to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
“Anyone watching that would’ve felt it was a draw.”
Hibs had Josh Campbell carried off the pitch on a stretcher in the second half.
“I think it’s a bad twist of his ankle,” said Montgomery. “It adds to the list of players we’ve got out at the moment, but hopefully it’s not as bad as first thought.”
Mauricio Pochettino praised match-winner Noni Madueke’s determination to prove his Chelsea worth after he came off the bench to score a late penalty in his side’s 2-1 win over Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge.
Roy Hodgson’s side looked like they had done enough to earn a deserved point as the game ticked into its final moments, until the result turned after a clumsy challenge made by Eberechi Eze, leaving a leg out on the edge of the box for Madueke to tumble over.
A pitch-side VAR review was required but it seemed a straightforward call for referee Michael Salisbury, who awarded a penalty from which the substitute Madueke, who had previously made only seven league appearances under Pochettino, coolly stroked home the winner.
Earlier, Michael Olise had scored a goal worthy of a claiming a draw, lashing home on the half-volley from Jordan Ayew’s pinpoint ball on the stroke of half-time.
Mykhailo Mudryk’s 13th-minute strike, his fourth of the season and second in eight days, had given Chelsea a lead for which they were good value, and the Ukrainian could have extended it had he not shot straight at Dean Henderson from Nicolas Jackson’s clever backheel.
Pochettino’s side looked more dangerous in attack than in recent weeks, finally turning possession into clear chances, and afterwards the manager pointed towards the impact of Madueke in turning frustration at a lack of game time into affirmative action.
“He (Madueke) played free,” said the manager. “He did what we needed in this moment. I liked it because he showed he was upset with me, disappointed with me because he didn’t play too much. (He thought) ‘Now I’m going to show the coach he can trust in me’.
“We are not a charity, we are a football club. We need to perform. We are here to try and help the players to perform.
“Sometimes we need to be tough. We need to show the reality. Sometimes we need to put (the players) in front of the mirror and say ‘come on, that is not the player that is going to perform’.
“We have an amazing group, but they need to realise that to compete at Chelsea is not (the same) as to compete at another club.
“It’s about winning, about lifting trophies and making history. It’s about respecting the history of the club.
“They need to show me that I can trust them. The mentality is really important. You can not only play with you quality. You have to have quality, but if you don’t have the right mentality and approach every single day, it’s difficult to perform.”
Chelsea have now won three in a row in all competitions at home, though that run has been cut with four consecutive defeats on the road.
Victory meant the team climbed back into the top half of the table, however, there remains a 14-point gap to the Champions League places.
Palace boss Roy Hodgson reflected on a game that slipped away from his side after what he deemed a controversial late penalty decision.
“I’ve got to be honest, I have no real interest in discussing referees and VAR,” he said.
“I thought we played very well. It should have got us three points, but it’s got us nothing.
“Am I frightened to death about being three points ahead of the relegation zone? No. What bothers me is 38 games.
“I’m sad at the moment because I think I should be sitting here with at least one point more.”
Livingston manager David Martindale was left ruing his best side’s chance falling to defender Mikey Devlin as they fought out a goalless draw with St Johnstone.
However, the Lions boss insists he was “fairly happy” with elements of his side’s display despite remaining rooted to the foot of the cinch Premiership.
Midfielder Scott Pittman and striker Bruce Anderson also passed up decent opportunities in attack before skipper Devlin had the chance to snatch a dramatic late victory.
The draw leaves the Almondvale men without a win in 11 games and four points adrift at the bottom.
Martindale said: “I thought we were the ones kicking on to try and get the winner.
“We got info into the players at half-time and they probably created the best three or four chances of the game.
“You look at Pittman’s, he has to do better. Bruce had one at the keeper’s right-hand post; Mick [Devlin] again – don’t hit the target.
“When I look at the chances created I thought we were the team going out in the second half.”
On Devlin’s late miss, Martindale added: “I thought why is it falling to Mick?
“It’s difficult. Mick’s is a really good chance, but it’s falling to a centre-back in the penalty box. I think Pittman’s is probably the best chance.
“I think there needs to be a bit of individual responsibility on the offensive players, I think they have to be a wee bit more brave and show more composure in the opponents’ box.
“I don’t want to sound delusional – we’re sitting bottom of the league – but I was fairly happy with some of the performances we’ve had.
“Tonight, we had two or three good opportunities to take something from the game and don’t hit the target.”
Meanwhile, St Johnstone boss Craig Levein reckons the “pressure” got to both teams in the stalemate.
The Saints had the ball in the net with a Luke Robinson strike, but it was ruled out for offside.
There was little in the way of quality as Levein’s outfit stayed in ninth in the Premiership table and extended their lead over Motherwell in second bottom to three points.
He said: “It was two teams playing safe football. In the second half, I thought we were a bit better, but it was all too safe for my liking.
“We’ve done enough in the last seven games where we’ve had good 15, 30-minute spells and controlled the game.
“But we played the safe ball too many times tonight, and so did Livingston.
“I think subconsciously, if you keep the gap [to the bottom] then that can feel better than losing.
“Maybe both teams had that idea in their heads. It’s not something we’d spoken about, but I’ve been there 100 times and know what it feels like.
“The pressure has been on for all the wrong reasons and I think that’s what we saw tonight. It looked to be a reasonable chance [for Devlin].
“We had Luke’s goal offside too and Nicky had a chance. I’d like to be talking about more passages of good play, but I’m struggling to.”
Kilmarnock manager Derek McInnes praised his players’ battling qualities after a Marley Watkins goal sealed a 1-0 cinch Premiership win at St Mirren.
The Ayrshire side moved four points clear of their vanquished opponents after keeping a clean sheet for a fourth-successive away game.
And McInnes said: “We wanted ball carriers and thankfully we had a brilliant passage of play for the goal. We had a few boys on empty at the end with the heavy pitch. It probably took a lot out of us.
“We’ve got 30 points and four clean sheets in a row on the road when our away form was so bad last season. I think there’s a confidence and trust now to come to different places.
“The four clean sheets in a row is the first time we’ve done that in a long time. The fans helped us, it felt like a proper cup tie even though it was a league game.”
Killie’s large travelling support sang about their team qualifying for Europe next season but McInnes was setting his sights on making sure of a top-six place first.
He added: “I think it’s great for the fans to think about that but for us, we’ve got a target for ourselves at junctions which will hopefully let us fight for the top six.
“I want us to play like a top-six side, carry ourselves and behave like a top-six team. And if we can hang about there as long as possible, then who knows. I want us to keep our shoulder to the wheel and keep churning out wins.”
St Mirren boss Stephen Robinson was disappointed as his team’s recent struggles continued and admitted they need a change of luck quickly to try to turn things around.
He said: “Everything is going against us at this moment in time. When you’re not scoring or you make an error, we get punished.
“We’ve not become a bad team but sometimes when luck isn’t with you it goes against you. I don’t think the belief has gone because you don’t dominate the ball like we did.
“I’ve not lost belief in the boys. We just need someone to step up to score and our movement can be better in the box. It’s up to me to sort that out.
“We’re getting good performances within the team. I take the blame as I signed the players but we’re just not having the rub of the green. The harder you work, the luckier you get.”
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