Cole Palmer insists Chelseas players 'love and want to fight' for Mauricio Pochettino after the 2-1 win over Brighton on Wednesday evening.
Palmer scored his 22nd Premier League goal of the season to give Chelsea the lead at the Amex Stadium before Christopher Nkunku found the net in the second half. Danny Welbeck provided a late consolation for the hosts as Chelsea were reduced to 10 men in the 88th minute when Reece James was sent off.
The fourth win in a row leaves Chelsea in sixth place, three points ahead of Manchester United and Newcastle United, ahead of the final day of the Premier League season on Sunday.
Chelsea could still finish fifth and clinch a Europa League place if they beat Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge and Tottenham lose to Sheffield United.
And Palmer Chelsea's strong finish to the season shows that the team is fully behind Pochettino. whose future will be assessed by the club's hierarchy this summer.
'We needed the three points. It was difficult towards the end and throughout the whole match, but to get the three points and to have sixth place in our hands is big for us. Hopefully it works,” Palmer told Premier League Productions.
'Chelsea We are a big club, everyone wants to finish higher than sixth, but you have to look at where we were at the start of the season. We've been 13th, 12th all season. It was clearly the same last season.
'So returning to Europe is a step in the right direction.
'A great honor for the manager because all the players love the manager and want to fight for him.
“We're just gelling now and everyone can see that.”
Asked whether he considers sixth place in the Premier League after the win over Brighton a success, Pochettino said: 'I don't know. We've been talking all season, but it seems like my words don't matter and no one cares.
“People only care about rumors and things like this. It's not important, the most important thing for me is winning matches. It's been tough, considering all the circumstances.”
For more stories like this, check out our sports page.
Follow Metro Sport for the latest news
Facebook, Tweet And Instagram.
MORE : Wayne Rooney sends a message to Marcus Rashford about his future at Manchester United
MORE : Erik ten Hag praises 'very important' Manchester United star despite big mistake against Newcastle
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and Google Privacy Policy And Terms of Service to apply.