McFarlane’s Pep Moment: Chelsea’s Bravery Shines in City Draw

McFarlane expresses pride in Chelsea's performance against Manchester City, regardless of the result which ended in a draw.

Chelsea coach McFarlane on the draw with City

Caretaker Chelsea coach Callum McFarlane said he was incredibly happy and proud of his players' display after the 1-1 draw with visiting Manchester City on Sunday, in the 20th round of the Premier League, in his first game in charge of the first team.

To BBC, he said: It was amazing, things you dream about. Pep Guardiola, a Premier League game, is really wonderful.

I am extremely proud of the performance. Even if the equalizer had not come, I would have been very happy with the character shown by the players, especially in the second half. Honestly, I would have left satisfied whatever the result. But it's great that we scored the equalizer, and I think we deserved it.

Asked whether he believed in a late comeback, the interim Chelsea boss replied: Full focus in the last couple of days has been on winning this match. It's true we didn't achieve that, but delivering this performance makes us all proud. We always believed we could come here and win.

McFarlane addressed Guardiola: He is one of the best managers football has ever seen, but I felt that this became the headline of the match, and I don't think it should have been. The talk should have been about the players and how well they performed. It should not be about me, but about the quality these players showed on the pitch, given all the challenges the team has faced.

Two light punchlines to close: 1) If Chelsea's display were a weapon, it would be a silenced rifle—quiet but deadly. 2) Guardiola may have a blueprint, but tonight the players wrote the headlines and they were good news for Chelsea fans.