Thiago Silva appeared to argue with furious Chelsea fans after losing to Middlesbrough with Mauricio Pochettino later clarifying what actually happened.
Chelsea suffered a shock defeat to Middlesbrough in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final with Hayden Hackney scoring the only goal of the match.
It was a really poor display from the visitors at the Riverside Stadium, who looked lacklustre going forward.
Particularly for Cole Palmer, who had two glorious chances to get the Blues on the scoresheet but spurned his efforts.
Both came from Boro mistakes when the former Manchester City ace latched on a misplaced backpass before hitting his shot wide.
Another came when Middlesbrough goalkeeper Tom Glover spilt the ball in front of Palmer, who lashed an effort miles over the bar from five yards out.
And at full-time, the 21-year-old made his way straight down the tunnel as the travelling fans booed the players with just a handful going over to them.
That included Silva, who appeared to be deep in conversation with some of them as he looked like he was trying to calm them down.
The Brazilian was joined by Armando Broja, Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill near the away end.
Speaking about the incident, Mauricio Pochettino admitted he did not see the incident.
Asked about the incident in his post-match press conference, Pochettino said: “Don’t be confused because the fans were reacting to Middlesbrough fans, not with our players, our fans were fantastic with us.
“I think it was Thiago and some players I listened, they were trying to calm our fans because I think it was a problem between the fans.
“Not with our fans and players. Be careful how you translate to the media or our fans. Don’t confuse the people.”
A long journey back for those Chelsea fans who made the trip to the North East, but it’s a miserable night for all those associated with the club.
And talkSPORT’s Jason Cundy summed up the current mood of the Blues faithful in a stunning rant on the Sports Bar.
After a gleeful Jamie O’Hara called Cundy up following his work with Chelsea TV, Cundy said: “I am absolutely fuming with that.
“We cannot break down a sandcastle. It’s infuriating. If Middlesbrough play like that and defend like that, they are going to Wembley.
“Their goalkeeper was a nervous wreck, but there was no cutting edge.
“I am fuming. The only positive is that it’s half time in the tie.”
Chelsea face Fulham on Saturday before having a ten-day break when they take on Middlesbrough for the second leg on January 23.
While the Blues have had several injuries this season, so have Boro, who now have 14 injuries with two coming off in the first half.
And while the west London outfit dominated possession, they looked toothless in attack with several players not turning up for the occasion.
Pochettino added: “I am disappointed because I think we deserve another result. Sometimes you play well and win.
“Sometimes we play well and we are not clinical enough. That is the process. Always in a process when you are building a team is tough.
“Today we made few mistakes and concede a goal that we should not concede and then we were not clinical enough.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
