Chelsea interim head coach Calum McFarlane praised his team’s performance after a 1–1 draw with Manchester City, saying he was especially proud of the character shown in the second half. He added that even without scoring, he would still have been pleased with the spirit and fight after the break.
City took the lead in the 42nd minute through a goal by Tijjani Reijnders, but Chelsea refused to give in: in stoppage time (90+4), Enzo Fernández struck at the death to level the score and secure a valuable point. McFarlane openly said the result matched the feeling that “we deserved it.”
For McFarlane, the match was emotionally special: he called facing Pep Guardiola in the Premier League a “dream scenario.” However, he insisted the main story wasn’t Guardiola or himself—it was the players. He stressed that the focus should be on how his lads performed.
Notably, McFarlane also revealed he made a tactical tweak at half-time: Chelsea increased the pressure in the second half, played more aggressively, and switched to a man-to-man approach. That change was one of the factors that swung the game.
In short, despite two days of “turbulence” at Chelsea, the team didn’t crumble at the Etihad. If this mentality holds, the draw may later prove to be more than just a point—it could mark the start of a new chapter.
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