EPL: Why Pochettino apologised to Brentford after 2-0 loss

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino issued an apology to Brentford after his assistant, Jesus Perez, was sent off following a conflict with their coaching staff during their Premier League 2-0 defeat on Saturday at Stamford Bridge.

Following the defeat, the Blues have now been overtaken on the Premier League log by their West London neighbours, slipping down to 11th position after losing at Stamford Bridge for the third time this season.

Ethan Pinnock and Bryan Mbuemo scored the winning goals for the Bees against Chelsea.

Meanwhile, a highlight from the encounter showed the moment Perez was sent off by referee Simon Hooper after he clashed with Brentford’s coaching staff in the second half.

Pochettino in a post-match statement apologised on behalf of his long-serving assistant, saying he was simply trying to get the ball back quickly from in front of Brentford’s dugout so Chelsea could restart the match in their search for an equaliser that never came.

Perez, who joins Pochettino at his press conferences to provide translation assistance was not present after the match, with the Argentine saying: “Yeah, because in the rules he cannot go to the [other team’s technical area]. We apologise to Brentford and apologise to the referee because he wanted to take the ball in front of Brentford. Nothing more than this.”