There was satisfaction around the team following Monday night’s goalless draw against Manchester United.
Although we were unable to fashion the chances to win the game, the message coming from the dressing room afterwards was that it was important not to be beaten.
‘We were resilient and defended well. If you can’t win the game it’s important not to lose,’ Gary Cahill said afterwards. ‘It’s hard to come here, we tried to push on. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be but it’s important we didn’t lose the game.’
A strong showing from Cahill and his defensive partner John Terry was one of the key reasons United were limited in their goalscoring opportunities. Terry believes it was a case of both sides managing to nullify the other.
‘Neither of us had too many chances to win the game. I think both teams looked solid and it’s obviously a great point for us away from home,’ the captain said. ‘It’s out of the way and we move on now. I think both midfields and attacks cancelled each other out a bit and neither team wanted to lose the game so early on in the season.’
It was a sentiment echoed by Frank Lampard, who worked tirelessly alongside Ramires in central midfield.
‘It was tense,’ said the 35-year-old. ‘People talk about big decider games early in the season and neither team wants to lose. It was a bit of a stalemate in those terms. We worked hard to stop the threat they’ve got up front and they worked hard to stop us.’
Jose Mourinho’s surprise inclusion was Andre Schurrle up front, and the German, making a full Premier League debut, worked as hard as anybody off the ball, but found opportunities hard to come by.
‘It was a difficult game, Man United played very well at home and we wanted to press to be in every situation fighting for the ball,’ Schurrle said. ‘For our first away game with this young team, a point is not bad.
I’m not a typical number nine, I go right, left and deep, but it’s okay for me. It’s my third match. It’s difficult to say something but I like [the Premier League] very much, I like the team very much. The matches are very intense and that’s what I like.’