Ryan Christie believes Cherries’ second half performance at Stamford Bridge was played in the “right manner”. Scottish international Christie was introduced off the bench as Cherries searched for a way back into the game following first period goals for Chelsea from Kai Havertz and Mason Mount. A formation change at the break prior to the substitution of Christie breathed fresh life into Cherries, but despite an improved performance in the second half, Chelsea maintained their 2-0 lead to pick up all three points. Reflecting on the encounter,
Ryan Christie said: “First things first, we don’t want to lose games. Doesn’t matter who we come up against, so we’re straight with that. But we lost it in the right manner, especially in the second half. They were a great side, and some of their movements and phases of play were pretty top draw. Sometimes you have to hold your hands up and say you’re thinking it’s a good side, but we certainly created enough ourselves. And, you know, if we could pull it back to 2-1, it could be a different story.”
After starting Cherries’ first game back from the World Cup break, a 1-0 League Cup defeat to Newcastle, Christie dropped to the bench as Gary O’Neil opted for a tactical switch, bringing in Lloyd Kelly to form a five-man defence. Speaking on what it was like to be brought on in an attempt to change the game,
Ryan Christie said: “I think as soon as you know you’re on the bench, the next thing you kind of hope for is if you can, number one, get on the pitch, and when you do, try and make an impact. Obviously it’s tough for us to get back in the game, at a place like this, against a very good side, being 2-0 down. But I think especially the last 10, 15 minutes, where we dominated the game and camped them in their half. If we had got one goal back, it might be a different story in the last few minutes.”
