Richards said, "We worked well together. We've seen Chelsea play several times this year, including in pre-season and the Club World Cup, and they have a very strong attacking team." He noted that if they could prevent Chelsea from scoring goals, they would have a good chance of getting a positive result.

Richards also commented on the importance of getting a clean sheet. "We talked about embracing the toughness that Chelsea would bring to the game," he said. "It wasn't going to be a perfect game, but as long as we could keep a clean sheet, that was our top priority."

Regarding Ebere Eze's disallowed goal, Richards stated, "I think everyone in the stadium thought it was a goal. Unfortunately, VAR saw something else. You live and die by VAR these days." He added, "But it was a good free-kick, and we're hoping to get more like that."