Spurs manager Pochettino proud of high-fliers

Spurs, who set a club record with their 13th unbeaten Premier League game in a row, started brightly against their London rivals but faded after half-time as the effects of their 12-hour round trip to face Qarabag on Thursday took its toll.

(Reuters)

"It's always difficult to play against Chelsea and after travelling back from Azerbaijan it was an even tougher game, but I think we can be pleased with the performance and the maturity we showed as a team," Pochettino told the club's website.

"We deserved more but at the end we have to be happy with the effort, we created more chances than Chelsea - I think they had one shot on target - and we can feel proud of the performance."

Spurs remain fifth in the Premier League, on 25 points from 14 games, and travel to West Bromwich on Saturday with the aim of pushing their unbeaten streak to 14 games.

"It's important, unbeaten in 13, but the most important thing now is to win against West Brom," added Pochettino.

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Peter Rutherford)