Claudio Ranieri said he was “proud” of the way his Watford side played despite their narrow 2-1 defeat to Chelsea at Vicarage Road under the lights on Wednesday.
A Hakim Ziyech goal separated the two sides in a competitive evening fixture, after goals from Mason Mount and Emmanuel Dennis made it 1-1 at half-time.
Ranieri felt the Hornets deserved something from the game against the European champions, and reflected positively on the performance.
“How we played tonight was amazing. We put Chelsea under pressure, not letting them play easy,” said the Italian.
“We deserved at least one point. At least! I said well done to my players, I am very proud.
“I believe if we continue in this way, in the relegation battle we will be safe in the end. We made two wonderful performances, against Leicester and tonight. Of course we need a point, but sooner or later we are going to get points.”
Dennis’ sixth goal of the season brought Watford back on level terms after Mount’s opener, and Ranieri was very pleased with the forward’s attacking instinct and mentality.
He hopes that supporters will also be happy with the performance despite the result, and is pleased with the progress being made in every game.
“I am very happy with Emmanuel because straight away he wants to do something, I love these kinds of players,” the Head Coach continued.
“He knows where the goal is and goes there straight away. But I think all the players put in fantastic performances.
“We continue to believe in our job. We are working very well and I hope our fans are proud of us, because tonight we pushed the champions of Europe in every situation.”
The game was suspended after 12 minutes when a supporter suffered a cardiac arrest in the Upper Graham Taylor Stand. The fan was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
Ranieri said: “Now, at this moment I feel good because I know the man is stable and conscious and I wish him and his family all the best. We were all very sad.”
