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Tuchel bemoans repetitive Chelsea aspect despite dominant admission against Man Utd

Thomas Tuchel admitted that Chelsea were the architects of the goal they conceded against Manchester United, but was happy with a performance he felt was dominant in their 1-1 draw.

Chelsea had 23 shots in comparison to United’s three, but both sides could only score once. United took the lead when Jorginho failed to control the ball as it dropped from the air, letting Jadon Sancho in. The forward finished one on one with Edouard Mendy against the run of play.

Jorginho made amends by equalising from the penalty spot. But Chelsea could not find a way past David De Gea in open play.

Despite their dominance, the Blues dropped points, leaving Tuchel with a similar feeling to the one he had after they drew by the same scoreline against Burnley earlier this month.

He told BBC Sport: “It can happen in football. Unfortunately it happened twice to us; it also happened against Burnley.

“I am absolutely happy with the performance. We dominated from the first minute, we were aggressive and never stopped attacking. Unfortunately we scored two goals, one for each side.”

A last big chance of the game fell to Antonio Rudiger in stoppage time, but the defender blazed over the bar.

Tuchel admitted it could have been a game changer, but he was taking the positives from their performance regardless.

He said: “It was a big chance. If he maybe hits the target it could have been a fantastic end to a fantastic performance. But we have to swallow the result. We played very well and I am happy.

“We were very disciplined and sharp. I am happy with what I saw. It was a pleasure to coach on the sidelines.

“We cannot guarantee results but if we play like this we can increase the chances for results.”

Thomas Tuchel explains Lukaku cameo

Tuchel has had to be creative with his selections up front in recent weeks, when he has been without Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku.

Werner led the line from the start against United, before Lukaku made his return against his former club. The Belgian was an 82nd-minute substitute.

Tuchel thinks Lukaku would be an instant starter if he was at full fitness. Although he didn’t end up changing the outcome of the game, the German tactician backed his decision to send him on.

He said: “If he is fully fit he is a starter for us but he is not at the moment.

“It was more than I actually wanted but we were so close to the opponent’s goal I thought maybe he could help with his presence.”

Chelsea are still top of the Premier League, one point ahead of Manchester City after their 13th game of the season in the top flight. They are next in action away to Watford on Wednesday night.

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