Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino has defended two of his key attacking talents.

Pochettino outlined his team's efforts in a 4-1 loss to Liverpool in midweek, choosing to focus on the positives.

On Cole Palmer's quality and role, he stated: “He cannot be in a bubble when the performance isn't so good. The influence of every single player is there. I think it's not important in the place he starts at the beginning.

“If you see the game, he wasn't a striker, he was playing like an offensive midfielder, sharing with Conor in the first-half. In the second-half, Nkunku was the No.9.

“We cannot put out of the context of the team. The performance wasn't great and also for him."

He then added on having patience with Christopher Nkunku: “We need to care about his situation step by step, building his confidence and fitness.

“He needs to work really hard to get to his best. Happy with the way he's helping the team, but we need to be careful when we push him to be the best."

On the impact Nkunku can make, Pochettino finished: “It's good to see him but only that we need to anticipate things. 45 minutes was good after we wanted to work a little bit more after the game but he can't. 45 minutes is enough for him.

“We need to analyze and assess him to see if he can start the next game. We hope he can cope with the demand of the game and maybe he can play more than just 45 minutes. We need to keep working with him."