Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has identified the condition of the pitch as a major reason for his team’s performance against Barnsley in the Emirates FA Cup, saying that: “The circumstances were very difficult”.

The West London side made it through to the quarter-finals of the FA Cup thanks to a 1-0 win over Barnsley at Oakwell.

After the match, Tuchel said: “We were lucky and we have admit, we were lucky in some situations, we had Kepa who saved two big chances in the first half and we had Tammy who saved the one on the goal line with his head. We struggled in the beginning of the game, it was a better second half.

“It was a very, very good goal which I liked a lot, it was an excellent run from Reece and finish from Tammy. The Opponent took a lot of risks and played a physical game and we had difficulties coping with it.

“We ended the last 15 minutes way too deep, we couldn’t push the game into the opponents half and in the end we have to admit we were a little bit lucky, but its not forbidden to be lucky in the cup.

“The circumstances were very difficult, the pitch was very difficult, I don’t want to be too hard on the players. It’s clear we can do better, but we have to admit that our opponent played a very, very good game.

“It was a rough day for us. It’s not easy, you arrive for a cup tie like this against a strong opponent who plays the game of their life and suddenly you lack rhythm and a little self confidence.”