Gary Cahill was left feeling flat, frustrated and disappointed after Chelsea’s title defence got off to a stuttering start.
There was an air of positivity around Stamford Bridge on Saturday as fans basked in the afterglow of last season’s Premier League success and Jose Mourinho’s new four-year deal.
Things started well enough on the field, too, with Oscar’s free-kick and a Federico Fernandez own goal either side of Andre Ayew’s classy debut strike giving the Blues a half-time lead.
However, Thibaut Courtois’ sending-off shortly after the restart changed the dynamics, with Bafetimbi Gomis slotting home the resulting penalty as Chelsea just about held on for a 2-2 draw.
“It feels like two points dropped, but they made it tough for us,” centre-back Cahill said. “We played with 10 men for a long period of the game, so it was difficult. I feel a bit flat, I feel a bit disappointed after the game.
“It seemed like it was a bit of a frantic game, especially in the second half – it was like we attack them, they attack us, we attack them, they attack us.
“So maybe a bit more control in the game (was needed) but unfortunately obviously a draw at home which is, to be honest, not ideal but give a lot of respect to Swansea, they played well.”
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The normally upbeat Cahill was clearly frustrated after a match in which he felt Courtois’ sending off was the “turning point”.
It was, he admits, a “demanding ” start to the campaign, especially in the west London sun, and things do not get an easier over the coming weeks with a trip to West Brom following next weekend’s match at title rivals Manchester City.
“We’ve got two tough away games now,” Cahill added. “We always have difficult games away at West Brom and obviously Man City, everyone knows how hard it is there.
“We’ve got two massive games coming up. It is only the first game but it is not an ideal start. But we keep working hard – dig in, work hard in what is going to be a very tough season.
“We knew that from the start, so we need to keep going, keep digging in and make sure we get results.”
