KEY POINTS

  • Chelsea were held to a 1-1 draw at Amex Stadium
  • Chelsea's title chances have been further hit
  • The Blues will next play Spurs at home in the league

Thomas Tuchel opened up on Hakim Ziyech's exchange with Romelu Lukaku in Chelsea's 1-1 draw with Brighton in the Premier League on Tuesday.

Both Lukaku and Ziyech were on the receiving end of severe criticism after Chelsea ended up losing 1-0 to Manchester City in the league last week.

The recent draw has pushed Chelsea further behind in the title race as the Blues have 44 points from 23 games and are placed third in the table. They are 12 points behind table-toppers City, who still have a game in hand.

Ziyech opened the scoring in Tuesday's match but his side hardly created any chances after that. Brighton rightfully pulled level through Adam Webster's header in the 60th minute.

Chelsea's Hakim Ziyech celebrates scoring against Atletico Madrid
Hakim Ziyech joined Chelsea from Ajax in 2020 AFP / Ben STANSALL

In a post-match interview, Tuchel was asked about Lukaku and Ziyech being deep in conversation and whether the pair are trying to work on getting a better understanding.

"I hope [they are] as well. It's normal that they talk, it's normal that they are not happy, it's normal that they don't like it if we say that we want more from them, it's normal. But I think even from the reaction of the goal you can see we’re tired. We’re relieved that we have a goal but it's not the pure joy because they're saving energy even then. That's my feeling of the team right now," Tuchel told BT Sport after Chelsea's 1-1 draw.

When Ziyech scored in the first half at the Amex Stadium, the Morocco national did not celebrate.

When Tuchel was asked if Ziyech's muted celebration was an angry response to the criticism, the German boss replied, "Well, hopefully. Yeah, I'm happy. He can score 20 more and not celebrate, I'd have no problem."

Chelsea's next game in the Premier League is a home fixture against Tottenham on Sunday.

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