Chelsea pair Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke are not the first team-mates to clash on a football pitch.

Cole Palmer’s four-goal haul in the Blues’ 6-0 win over Everton on Monday was overshadowed by what boss Mauricio Pochettino called an “unacceptable” altercation over who should take a second-half penalty.

Palmer, the club’s designated penalty-taker, finally took charge, following intervention from captain Conor Gallagher, recovering his composure to score his fourth.

Jackson and Madueke follow a long line of club colleagues to have had a very public difference of opinion. Here, the PA news agency takes a look at some previous incidents.

Lee Bowyer and Kieron Dyer

Perhaps the classic of the genre, the Newcastle team-mates came to blows towards the end of a 3-0 home defeat by Aston Villa in April 2005, Dyer grabbing Bowyer by the throat and the pair trading punches before being separated by Villa’s Gareth Barry. Both men were dismissed by referee Barry Knight – defender Steven Taylor had earlier been sent off for handball – and later hauled before the media by manager Graeme Souness to apologise for their conduct.

Graeme Le Saux and David Batty

Blackburn’s Le Saux was left with a painful reminder of his bust-up with David Batty during a 3-0 Champions League defeat at Spartak Moscow in November 1995. Four minutes into the game, the pair collided as both tried to retrieve a Mike Newell pass and Batty made his displeasure abundantly clear. The row descended into a pushing match before Le Saux – he later insisted in self-defence – struck out, breaking his left hand during a scuffle in which intervening skipper Tim Sherwood took a blow to the cheek.

Hugo Lloris and Son Heung-min

Tottenham keeper Lloris and striker Son became involved in a heated row on the pitch as the half-time whistle sounded in a 1-0 Premier League victory over Everton in July 2020. Lloris angrily confronted the South Korea international over his failure to track back and the pair had to be separated by team-mates Giovani Lo Celso and Harry Winks. The spat continued down the tunnel and into the dressing room, although the two men embraced after the final whistle.

Derek Hales and Mike Flanagan

Charlton strike partners Hales and Flanagan came to blows during an FA Cup tie against Maidstone in January 1979. The source of the spat was allegedly Flanagan reacting to Hales failing to pass to him by making a disparaging remark about his team-mate’s genitals. Both were sent off.

Craig Levein and Graeme Hogg

The Hearts duo became involved in a disagreement during a pre-season friendly at Raith in August 1994 after their side had almost conceded. Both men threw punches, but it was Levein’s which did the damage, breaking Hogg’s nose. He was sent off as he was being carried off on a stretcher with Levein suffering the same fate, and they were later handed 10 and 12-match bans respectively.

Cole Palmer is grateful for the opportunity Chelsea gave him to join the club after he celebrated successive home hat-tricks when he scored four times in the Blues’ 6-0 win over Everton.

The Manchester City academy graduate, who joined the Blues last summer, scored a spectacular individual goal to open the scoring.

Palmer scored a header and added a third when he capitalised on a Jordan Pickford error before converting a penalty in the second half. Nicolas Jackson and Alfie Gilchrist also got on the scoresheet as the Toffees came completely unstuck.

It was Palmer’s second home triple in a row, following his three goals against Manchester United earlier this month.

Palmer told Chelsea’s official website: “To make the decision to come to Chelsea was a big one for me and my family, but I just wanted to play football. I’m thankful to Chelsea for the opportunity and I’m buzzing.

“We started well and to score a hat-trick, I’m buzzing. I think the team needed that after last Sunday and some previous games. We did well tonight. It was a great game for the team and me.”

Palmer showed wonderful skill for his first goal after he jinked past Jarrad Branthwaite, receiving a flick-on from Jackson before he produced a first-time curled effort from outside the box into the bottom left-hand corner.

The 21-year-old added: “I think my first one was my favourite.

“My right-footed goal was a bit of a swinger, but my first one was probably my favourite. As an attacker, you always want to help the team with goals and assists, but my main focus was playing well and trying to get into the positions to score goals.”

Manager Mauricio Pochettino heaped praise on Palmer, who is now joint top in the Premier League’s Golden Boot race with Erling Haaland on 20 goals each.

He said: “I don’t judge the player when we sign (them) but I expected the best. It doesn’t surprise us, he’s a player who has had the capacity to score goals when he was playing at Manchester City. He has the capacity to score easily.

“The way he’s adapted, playing and performing is fantastic. He behaves like a top scorer and I think it’s amazing for the team and him.”

What the papers say

The Sun reports that Chelsea are seeking contract extensions for midfielder Enzo Fernandez and winger Mykhailo Mudryk. The two 23-year-olds’ previous long-term deals would be extended by another year.

The Daily Mail reports that Liverpool are considering Sunderland goalkeeper Anthony Patterson as a potential replacement for Caoimhin Kelleher.

According to the Telegraph, ex-Chelsea and Everton boss Frank Lampard has dropped out of the running to become the new head coach of Canada’s national team.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Tosin Adarabioyo: Tottenham have made an offer to the Fulham defender, says Teamtalk, as they try to beat Manchester United in the race to sign the 26-year-old.

Viktor Gyokeres: Manchester United are keen on the Sweden striker from Sporting Lisbon but fear Liverpool may scupper their signing chances, reports HITC.

Djed Spence: Tottenham’s 23-year-old right-back is one of several senior players expected to leave the club this summer, claims Football Insider.

Cole Palmer’s four-goal haul in Chelsea’s thumping 6-0 win over Everton at Stamford Bridge was overshadowed by what Mauricio Pochettino called “unacceptable” behaviour as two of his players were involved in a physical altercation over who should take a penalty.

The home side were four goals up in the second half when Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke caused the unsavoury scene that left their manager feeling the need to apologise to fans watching the game around the world.

Palmer, the club’s appointed penalty taker, finally took charge following intervention from the captain Conor Gallagher, recovering his composure to score his fourth of the game and move on to 20 Premier League goals for the season.

“The players know, the club knows that Palmer is the penalty-taker,” said Pochettino, who was visibly agitated during his post-match duties.

“I’m so, so upset about the situation. In every country people are watching the game and we cannot send this type of image.

“I want to apologise to our fans. Discipline is the most important thing for the team. It’s a collective sport. I’m not going to accept this type of behaviour. I’m going to be very strong. I promise it’s not going to happen again.

“We need to move on and talk about the game – 6-0 against a very good team like Everton, clean sheet, I think we should be happy, no?”

In a debut season defined by individual excellence, the first half was superb, even by Palmer’s own exceptional standards.

His first goal alone was worthy of winning a Premier League match, nutmegging Jarrad Branthwaite before playing a neat one-two with Jackson, then curling the ball left-footed beyond the dive of Jordan Pickford.

His second was a poacher’s finish, reacting quickest to knock in the rebound after Jackson’s effort had been pushed out by the goalkeeper.

Everton were falling apart, a collapse encapsulated by Pickford’s error, playing the ball straight to Palmer to punt the ball into an empty net from 45 yards.

Jackson scored Chelsea’s fourth, hooking Marc Cucurella’s cross under control and guiding it home with a swing of the right boot.

Then came the sight of Jackson and Madueke pushing and shoving over a penalty awarded in the 63rd minute.

“We don’t talk about punishment,” said Pochettino. “It’s about learning. They are young guys. It was very good the reaction of Gallagher like a captain. But you cannot show that type of behaviour.

“The discipline is going to be stronger. If they behave like kids, it’s impossible. You cannot behave like kids. It’s a shame, it’s an unacceptable thing. We don’t deserve to be talking about this.”

At the end of an excellent display, academy graduate Alfie Gilchrist capped things off by firing home his first goal for the club in stoppage time.

Everton boss Sean Dyche, whose side sit just two points clear of the relegation zone, reflected on a “horrid” night for his team.

“It’s miles off where we want to be,” he said. “There’s no excuses for that. Miles off the mark, miles from where we’ve been.

“The goals were alarmingly poor. It’s just simple tackling, reading and anticipating the game. The basics were out the window. A horrid night without a shadow of a doubt.”

Cole Palmer became the Premier League’s joint-leading scorer this season as his four goals helped Chelsea crush hapless Everton 6-0 at Stamford Bridge.

The former Manchester City player now has 20 for the campaign and dismantled Sean Dyche’s side almost single-handedly, netting a hat-trick inside the first 29 minutes to breathe genuine momentum into his team’s bid to qualify for Europe.

This was as complete a first half as Chelsea have managed under Mauricio Pochettino, displaying a clinical edge in front of goal that made the insipid attacking displays of earlier in the season feel like a distant memory.

It was also a night for individuals. Moises Caicedo at the base of midfield gave a performance full of guile and maturity; rarely had he looked so in command in Chelsea colours.

Nicolas Jackson, who scored the fourth goal, and Mykhailo Mudryk were superb, further turning the tide of opinion in their favour after slow starts to their careers in blue.

Then there was Palmer, Chelsea’s talisman, who is surely now a contender to challenge his former Manchester City team-mate Erling Haaland for the Golden Boot.

This was not a perfect 90 minutes and there are still issues for Pochettino to address. When his team were given a penalty at 4-0 up in the second half, there was the unsavoury spectacle of a physical altercation as Jackson and Noni Madueke each tried to take the ball from the appointed taker Palmer. It pointed to a failure of discipline and leadership that the manager must surely address.

But it could not sour a fine night for home fans in west London, capped off fittingly when academy graduate Alfie Gilchrist fired in his first goal for the club in stoppage time.

Chelsea had started the game sluggishly, narrowly avoiding going behind after nine minutes when Beto missed the target from four yards.

As so often this season it required intervention from Palmer to shake them to life. Receiving the ball deep from Malo Gusto, he impudently nutmegged Jarrad Branthwaite, played a one-two with Jackson, then curled his finish wide of the dive of Jordan Pickford for his first goal of a remarkable first half.

Soon the floodgates were open. After 17 minutes, Mudryk was played in down the left by Jackson who, receiving it back from the Ukrainian, shot first time. Pickford beat the ball out, but only to the feet of the arriving Palmer who grabbed his second.

His finish for 3-0 was exquisite, but the opportunity came gift-wrapped from Pickford. The England goalkeeper tried to pick out Amadou Onana but came up short with his pass. In nipped Palmer and, undaunted by the 45-yard distance to goal, lobbed it into the net for his hat-trick.

Jackson made it four before the break, showing exquisite touch to drag Marc Cucurella’s cross out of the air before turning and guiding the ball beyond the goalkeeper’s grasp into the corner.

The 22-year-old has shown significant improvement in recent weeks, and his 13th goal of the season was surely his best so far for Chelsea.

Palmer argued away Jackson and Madueke to make it five from the penalty spot just past the hour mark, then Gilchrist drilled into the bottom corner from Pickford’s parry at the death, as Chelsea moved to within three points of the top six.

Mauricio Pochettino has warned it will take time for leaders to emerge among Chelsea’s inexperienced squad and rejected comparisons with players who helped shape the club’s illustrious past.

With an average age of just over 23, the Argentinian has worked with the youngest group in this season’s Premier League, and accused his team of lacking maturity in the aftermath of last weekend’s 2-2 draw against bottom side Sheffield United.

Since taking over in May 2022, co-owner Todd Boehly and his Clearlake Capital consortium have pursued a transfer policy exclusively favouring players in their early 20s, while the squad’s more experienced members – many of whom won Chelsea’s last major silverware, the 2021 Champions League – have been moved on.

It has left a squad that has been accused of lacking balance, while at times this season there has been a notable absence of leadership on the pitch, as Chelsea have struggled to climb above mid-table.

But Pochettino, who has repeatedly defended the club’s recruitment strategy, called for perspective, singling out former stars who took time to mature into leadership roles.

“John Terry was young,” he said. “I don’t believe when he was 18, 19 he was already a leader. (Those players) were in a different situation. Maybe they had some help when they were young, maybe they were in another project.

“We are in a project where 80 or 90 per cent of the players are young. They need to grow all together. They need some help. That’s why we are here, to help them in this process to become leaders.

“We’re talking about too many players that only arrived this season at Chelsea and in the Premier League.”

An unbeaten run of seven games, their longest in the league for almost 18 months, has helped drag the team into contention for European qualification.

Victory over Everton at Stamford Bridge on Monday night will put them in a promising position to break into the top eight, likely to be sufficient to reach next season’s Conference League, though they could also seal a Europa League place by finishing in the top seven or by winning the FA Cup.

Nevertheless, Pochettino urged caution, suggesting it is unfair to expect players – such as striker Nicolas Jackson, who has led the line virtually all season despite previously having played only 34 league games for former side Villarreal – to instantly assume the mantel of Chelsea greats.

The 22-year-old has scored 12 goals in 35 appearances since his £32million move from LaLiga, and recent performances have marked a significant improvement on his early weeks in west London.

“We talk about Nicolas Jackson,” said Pochettino. “If we compare with (Didier) Drogba’s first season, there’s hope he can be a leader, but Drogba was a leader in his first season.

“People can find excuses and criticise, but I cannot pay attention. Sometimes you laugh about the opinions you receive from outside.”

Mauricio Pochettino said he doubts whether Chelsea could have handled a European campaign this season as he has grappled with an injury crisis.

The Argentinian could be without 11 players for Monday’s game against Everton, with Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling the latest doubts for the meeting at Stamford Bridge.

It has been the club’s first campaign without European competition since 2016/17, and only their second since 1996/97, following a 12th-place finish in the Premier League last season.

An unbeaten run of seven games, their longest in the league for almost 18 months, has put them in contention to reach either the Europa League or Conference League, whilst they could also qualify by winning the FA Cup.

But Pochettino said the team’s injury problems will need to be addressed if they are to take on more games next season.

“Imagine if we had played in Europe this season, with all the circumstances (injuries)? Oh my goodness,” said the 52-year-old.

“With a squad that is always between eight and 10 players missing in every single game. If you add more games, we would struggle a lot.

“Now it’s about experience, to have all the information to try to help the club to take the best decisions to avoid things like happened this season.

“That is out principal focus, to try to define a squad that can be fit, or have more than 80 per cent availability.”

Teams in previous seasons have benefited from having a season without European competition, taking time to regroup before following up with much improved campaigns the following year.

Liverpool under Brendan Rodgers in 2013/14 came within two points of winning the title whilst not having to contend with a European schedule, whilst Chelsea were crowned champions under Antonio Conte in 2016/17 a year after finishing 10th.

Mikel Arteta led Arsenal to a fifth-place finish in 2021/22, the club’s first without Europe in 26 years, during which the team showed significant progress that has led to them challenging for the title in consecutive seasons.

Pochettino countered that the situation at Chelsea, whose owners have spent over £1billion on assembling a young and largely inexperienced squad, cannot be compared to previous examples.

“Now, it’s completely different,” he said. “You cannot compare to Conte or Brendan Rodgers, it’s not fair. We are in a different Chelsea today.

“The conversation is always to win the next game, then the next and then the next, and see in which position we arrive.

“To have targets is always good. But to have a target it is to have all the elements on (your) side. With all the circumstances we are living (with injuries), it’s about trying to be competitive in the next game, not to put objectives that maybe you will get very frustrated if you don’t win some games that you are supposed to win.”

Erling Haaland added Luton to his collection to ensure he has still scored against every opponent he has faced in the Premier League.

Here, the PA news agency looks at the prolific Norway international’s Manchester City record.

Full house

Chelsea, Liverpool and Brentford were the only teams not to concede to Haaland in his astonishing debut season in England, when he won the Premier League Golden Boot with 36 goals in 33 games.

He ticked off Chelsea and Liverpool in successive league games either side of November’s international break and, having failed to score in this season’s first meeting with the Bees, had to wait until February’s postponed return fixture to complete the set of 21 opponents he had faced.

Having missed December’s fixture against Luton while injured, they were not among that number – despite February’s five-goal FA Cup onslaught – so his penalty in Saturday’s 5-1 win extended his perfect record to 22 opponents.

Haaland now has 56 goals in 61 Premier League appearances.

Favourite opponents

Haaland’s highest Premier League tally against any opponent is six goals, against derby rivals Manchester United. He followed up last season’s hat-trick at the Etihad Stadium with a double at Old Trafford and another home goal this term.

Fulham and Crystal Palace follow, with five goals in three games against each, with hat-tricks at home to Palace last season and Fulham this.

He has four goals in three games against each of Everton, Nottingham Forest, West Ham and Wolves, with hat-tricks against Forest and Wolves last season.

He has three against both Brighton and Southampton and has scored in every league appearance against Fulham, Everton, West Ham, Palace (three games each, with Fulham and West Ham still to play again this season), Saints (two games), Leicester and Sheffield United (one).

Record books

Harry Kane also scored against every Premier League opponent he faced, a total of 32 clubs, during his time with Tottenham – a brief loan at Norwich early in his career did not yield any of his eventual 213 goals in the competition.

Frank Lampard holds the record for scoring Premier League goals against the most clubs overall, with his 39 one more than Andy Cole, but neither player scored against every opponent they faced.

Third on that list with 37 opponents is the league’s record scorer Alan Shearer, whose 20 goals against Leeds is the most by one player against a single opponent.

Chelsea’s wage bill rose to more than £400million last season – the second highest in the Premier League, according to accounts published by Companies House.

The Blues finished 12th in the Premier League last term but their salary costs have risen by 18 per cent to £404m, with only treble-winning Manchester City paying out more (£422.9m).

In the first full season under the new ownership of Todd Boehly’s Clearlake Capital consortium, Chelsea paid £747m on transfers up to June 30, 2023. Since then, they have spent another £454m on transfers.

Players who had initially cost the club £592m were sold for £203m although accounting regulations allow the West London outfit a profit of around £63m.

Chelsea announced pre-tax losses of £90.1million in March, an improvement on the previous years’ loss of £121.4m, but Premier League rules state a club can have made a loss no greater than £105m over a three-year period.

While certain costs can be deducted, it means there are likely to be further player sales required in the coming months in order to remain within regulations, particularly with qualification for Europe via their league position looking unlikely this campaign.

The sale of Mason Mount to Manchester United in July last year for £55m, with a possible £5m in add-ons, will be in the 2023/24 accounts although so too will the signing of Moises Caicedo from Brighton for a fee that could rise to up to £115m.

On Friday, it was announced Chelsea spent £75.1m on agents’ and intermediaries’ fees in the 12 months up to February 1, having brought in players like Caicedo, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer over the period covered – which was almost £32m more than previously spent.

Despite the outlay Mauricio Pochettino’s expensively-assembled squad have endured an inconsistent Premier League campaign – and were branded “blue billion-pound bottle jobs” by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville late on during their 1-0 extra-time defeat against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

A £76.5m property deal with BlueCo, a subsidiary of the club’s holding company, helped to reduce Chelsea’s losses, while their turnover increased to £512m, up from £481m over the previous year.

Chelsea spent more than £75million on agents’ and intermediaries’ fees this season, according to figures released by the Football Association.

The data, which covered the 12 months to February 1 and therefore this season’s two transfer windows, showed the total spend by top-flight clubs was £409.59m – an increase from £318.2m for the 2022-23 campaign.

The Blues head the list paying £75,140,524 – having brought in players like Moises Caicedo, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer over the period covered – which was almost £32m more than previously spent.

Despite the outlay Mauricio Pochettino’s expensively-assembled squad have endured an inconsistent Premier League campaign – and were branded “blue billion-pound bottle jobs” by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville late on during their 1-0 extra-time defeat against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

Elsewhere Manchester City – the biggest spenders in the previous list – ranked second on £60.63m.

Rivals Manchester United spent £34.05m, while Liverpool paid £31.50m in fees and Arsenal a total of £24.76m.

At the other end of the spending list, Luton – promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs in May last year – paid the least at £2.02m.

Chelsea’s total exceeded the overall spending on agents’ fees in the Sky Bet Championship of £61.34m – with Leeds top of the list at £13.28m as they push for a swift promotion.

Mauricio Pochettino said it is time to stop talking about injuries and let Chelsea’s academy players show what they can do ahead of Monday’s meeting with Everton.

The Argentinian could have as many as 11 absentees for the game at Stamford Bridge, with Enzo Fernandez and Raheem Sterling amongst the latest doubts.

Training sessions this season have relied heavily on players called up from the academy, and several have been named in matchday squads as the injury crisis has deepened.

The 17-year-old defender Josh Acheampong and 20-year-old Finland youth international Jimi Tauriainen were amongst the substitutes during the 2-2 draw with Burnley at the end of March, whilst 20-year-old Alfie Gilchrist, who penned a new two-year deal this month, has made 13 appearances in all competitions.

Striker Deivid Washington, the 18-year-old signed from Brazilian side Santos last January, has also featured regularly on the bench, as has 21-year-old Cesare Casadei after his year-long loan at Leicester was cut short earlier this year.

Ahead of Everton, Fernandez and Axel Disasi will have their fitness assessed, whilst Sterling and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez are suffering from illness.

Ben Chilwell is training with the first team having not played since the international break but is unlikely to be fit enough to start.

“We need to stop talking,” said Pochettino. “People are waiting for me to talk (about injuries). We need to stop and we need to adapt, and accept the reality. We need to be positive with the players that we have.

“With the young kids that came through the academy, we are going to try to be competitive and to win the game on Monday. We need to accept the (injury) situation.

“If something happens, we need to take the positives. We’re going to have the possibility to train with young guys, players from the academy. Maybe they can step up and show their quality.”

Chelsea’s under-17 side beat Wolves 3-1 at Molineux to lift the Premier League Cup on Thursday, with the under-21s currently fourth in the league and the under-18s top of their division.

“Maybe before the end of the season we can have some surprise from a player we didn’t count on, that can have a good profile for Chelsea,” said Pochettino. “When that happens, another door will be open.

“Chelsea have one of the best academies in the world. It’s our responsibility to pay attention and to care about these guys. Because of the situation, they’re going have the chance to be involved on Monday.”

Pochettino hinted at taking a more measured approach to his post-match media duties after he accused his players of lacking maturity following Sunday’s 2-2 draw with Sheffield United.

“I think I need to be more cautious with my words after the game,” he said. “It’s a fact that we have a young squad but also I need to adapt a different message.

“We are winners. We arrived here knowing Chelsea’s history is about winning. So when you don’t win like against Sheffield, we felt disappointed and frustrated. It’s not easy to face (the media) and be calm.”

What the papers say

Manchester City will be hoping to stave off competitors Liverpool, Barcelona and Paris St Germain for 21-year-old Bayern Munich forward Jamal Musiala according to the Independent. The 21-year-old from Germany has scored 10 goals in 23 matches in the Bundesliga this season.

The Mirror says Arsenal are now rethinking their plans for Brentford striker Ivan Toney due to the form of German forward Kai Havertz. The 24-year-old has scored five goals in his last seven matches, with the club now considering looking for a younger forward.

Chelsea could let 11 players leave the club this summer, the Sun says, with 24-year-old midfielder Conor Gallagher expected to be one of those players.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Viktor Gyokeres: The 25-year-old Sporting Lisbon forward is a top transfer target for Arsenal, but they will have to pay £85million to match the club’s release clause.

Piero Hincapie: Tottenham could look to sign the 22-year-old Bayer Leverkusen defender as manager Ange Postecoglou has made a defender one of his priorities in the summer, Teamtalk says.

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino was frustrated after seeing his side twice surrender the lead to draw 2-2 against bottom side Sheffield United.

Thiago Silva and Noni Madueke scored either side of the break to put Chelsea 2-1 up, with Jayden Bogle scoring for the Blades just after the half-hour mark.

Just when it looked as though Chelsea were on course to claim all three points, McBurnie struck in the third minute of stoppage time.

Pochettino said: “It is very frustrating because when you concede in the last few minutes you feel very disappointed and frustrated because you should win the game.

“We had the possession but didn’t create enough. I think in the first part of the season we were a little bit more solid. We were creating but we weren’t clinical. Now we are scoring more but we are conceding more.

“The difficult thing is to find the balance. The team is not showing in the last few months the capacity to be solid.

“We score goals but we are conceding. We need to be positive. We are trying to find solutions about being more solid and not conceding too much.

“The process to build a team always takes time – it is not a magic thing.

“I think it is the normal process that this happens. We need to work and try to fix this type of problem.

“We need to analyse the squad at the end of the season and see what we are missing and try to add people with the capacity to improve next season.”

Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder felt his side deserved a point.

He said: “I think everybody in the ground would have been disappointed if we’d not got a result from that effort.

“I didn’t like the first 15 minutes. I thought we looked leggy and we looked like it was that third performance in a week.

“But we got ourselves going and the midfield got us passing it and moving it forward. The midfield three was really good.

“I’m delighted with the last 75-80 minutes. I thought it was really good.

“The only time I can be super-critical is their second goal.

“The press was good in the second half. The mentality of the team was to go and win the game from 1-1.

“We’re slightly disappointed that we’ve not got a couple of more points on the board.

“When you look at the league table and the position we’re in, it never looked like that today. It doesn’t have that feel, really. We’re in decent nick.

“I think everybody would have been really disappointed if we’d not got anything out of the game.

“I can’t be too critical when they’re giving everything. We had a better bench today and we understand the demands of the Premier League and a three-game week.

“You’ve got to really dig in and find that little bit extra. There’s enough character in the team.”

Oli McBurnie grabbed a stoppage-time equaliser as struggling Sheffield United twice came from behind to snatch a point in a 2-2 draw with Chelsea.

Thiago Silva’s opener was cancelled out by Jayden Bogle’s equaliser, but it looked like the Blues would come away with maximum points when Noni Madueke put them 2-1 up, only for McBurnie to level at the death.

Sheffield United manager Chris Wilder restored McBurnie and Ben Osborn to his starting line-up, while Ivo Grbic kept his place in goal despite an error which resulted in a goal at Liverpool on Thursday night.

Chelsea made three changes to the one that started their 4-3 midweek victory over Manchester United, with Silva, Madueke and Trevoh Chalobah all recalled.

Silva marked his 100th Premier League start with the opening goal in the 11th minute. It was a far from convincing strike as he met Conor Gallagher’s corner on the volley, but the ball crept just inside Grbic’s right-hand post.

The home side had their first chance when McBurnie intercepted Silva’s attempted pass and played the ball back to Ben Brereton Diaz, whose effort from inside the area was blocked by a defender.

Gustavo Hamer then forced a save from Djordje Petrovic, firing in a shot which had the keeper scrambling down low to his left to keep the ball out.

Hamer was the architect of the Blades’ equaliser, playing a superb ball to find Bogle whose shot from a tight angle on the right-hand side of the area went in off Petrovic.

Brereton Diaz threatened shortly after the restart, running at the defence before seeing his shot blocked.

The Chile international then created a great chance, sending over a cross which was headed wide by his strike-partner McBurnie under pressure from Chalobah.

As the hosts continued to enjoy a good spell, Hamer sent a drive narrowly wide of Petrovic’s right-hand post.

Madueke restored Chelsea’s lead in the 66th minute, receiving the ball from Cole Palmer and cutting inside before firing past Grbic.

Palmer then saw a dipping effort turned over the crossbar by Grbic.

Nicolas Jackson threatened to put the visitors further ahead before a last-ditch tackle from Anel Ahmedhodzic inside the area snuffed out the danger.

Petrovic had to be at full stretch to keep out Jack Robinson’s looping header in the closing stages.

But an equaliser came in the third minute of time added on when Hamer’s header was knocked on by Cameron Archer into the path of McBurnie who fired into the net from close range.

Mauricio Pochettino said Chelsea’s status as a big club dictates the style that has helped them loosen their goalscoring inhibitions this season.

With nine Premier League games still to play the team have already scored 15 more goals than they managed in the entirety of the last campaign, when they recorded the club’s lowest return in almost a century.

After failing to find the net in three of Pochettino’s first six games in charge, including consecutive blanks against Nottingham Forest, Bournemouth and Aston Villa, there has been a significant change in the Argentinian’s approach, favouring a more fluid, open style that has seen goals conceded as well as scored.

The 4-3 win against Manchester United on Thursday means there have been a combined 33 goals for and against Chelsea in their last six games in all competitions at Stamford Bridge.

In total there have been 10 games this season in which the team has either scored or conceded four or more goals – or both, in the case of their 4-4 draw with Manchester City – whilst the swashbuckling style has also seen 13 penalties awarded in their favour.

By contrast, the team went the entirety of the 2022-23 campaign without scoring four in a match.

“The quality is our philosophy,” said Pochettino, who takes his team to Bramall Lane to face the league’s bottom side Sheffield United on Sunday.

“We are always thinking to go forward, to create chances. We are in the top four in the Premier League at creating big chances.

“It’s about philosophy. We see different clubs that try to get goals or chances through set-pieces, but we are Chelsea. We are a big club. A big club is about creating a philosophy to play good football, and play in the opposite half.

“It’s about ideas, about how we taste football. We have a lot of attempts in the last third. It’s why we get (so many) penalties. That is a good quality of the team, and of the football we want to apply here at Chelsea.”

Chelsea have forced themselves into the reckoning for European qualification off the back of their longest unbeaten league run in almost 18 months.

Despite not playing they climbed to ninth in the league on Saturday courtesy of Brighton’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal.

They have games in hand which if won would see them overtake the two teams directly above them, Newcastle and West Ham, and draw to within two points of sixth-place Manchester United, who play Liverpool on Sunday.

Sixth is almost certain be a Europa League qualifying spot, though they could also reach the competition by winning the FA Cup.

Pochettino will lead his team out in the semi-final against City at Wembley on April 20.