With just five games left to save our season - and, one suspects, his own job - a surprisingly calm Avram Grant insists that there's still time to avoid the drop...
Avram: It was a good start - but went downhill after that?It was a very good start. We started how we wanted to start, scored one goal. Then I think it was a penalty for us and a red card for them. Then we made a mistake in the last moments of the first half which has cost us. In the second half we closed the game but both teams couldn't win the game. We had chances, they had chances - unfortunately they scored at the last moment. Also it was a foul from Agbonlahor on Gabbidon. We are very disappointed.
Would it be fair to say that being without Scott Parker today proved costly - and that being without him for another two games could prove even costlier?
It's not easy. We like to play with him - he's our player of the year for many people, for me also - and he's very important for us but he's injured. The main problem was also Manuel Da Costa who was injured after a few minutes so we needed one more change, a second change. Even with this we were winning one-nil but of course with Scotty it's much easier to play. He's good for us, he's doing a lot of things but he could not play.
You had a few players that came off with injuries. What's the situation?
We have a problem now with Tomkins from training on Thursday. Manuel Da Costa and Gary O'Neil came off; we need to wait and see.
You've got five games now to save yourselves from relegation. How do you approach it?
I think we need nine points more to stay in the league. It will be difficult but not impossible and we have no intentiopn of giving up. We're going to fight.
Your next two games are at Man City and Chelsea. You might need to win those last three games against your rivals?
Yes. And we are not going to give up on these next two games. We've won against big teams this season so we know we can do it, even if it'll be difficult. And we will fight for the points.
How crucial is this loss though? Because I'd imagine you'd have geared so much towards gettting points here today?
It was very crucial. The players knew it and this was the reason they were a little bit nervous. When we had the ball, sometimes we gave it away cheaply, the ball. It was very important for us but we lost it so we need to look to the next game.
So what do you do now? Do you need to get them to relax a bit more?
I think we need to deal with this situation. We are in this situation since the beginning of the season. We had a very, very good run since January and then we lost points in the last game so we don't have such a long time to recover. We need to be strong and we will be strong.
Do you feel you've got enough leaders out on the pitch? With Parker missing...
Look - it's not easy, especially in our team to lose a player like Parker. But even with this we were winning one-nil.
How does this affect you personally Avram? Because there's been so much speculation throughout the season? The board have shown faith in you as well to get through it?
I think since January we did very well, then in the last games we've lost points. Against Man United we lost; we didn't like it but it could happen. Today we needed points and I'm very disappointed. For me personally? I don't think about me personally, I think about the team. I think it's difficult but I still believe that it's possible.
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