City head coach Michael Skubala says City can take great pride from Tuesday night’s narrow Carabao Cup defeat to Chelsea at the LNER Stadium.
The Imps deservedly led at the break through Rob Street’s well-taken goal, before two goals in five second half minutes own the game for the World Champions.
While Skubala conceded there was a tinge of frustration after conceding two quickfire goals to the Premier League side, he was still able to reflect on an excellent showing from his team.
He said: "I thought we were so good in the first half. The way the lads applied themselves and pinned Chelsea back is something that not a lot of teams have been able to do.
“We were electric in that opening 45 and worthy of going in at least 1-0 up. We were aggressive with our press and we really worked in the week of how we could hurt them.
“I think there’s a slight feeling of frustration with the opening five minutes of the second half, but at the same time, they showed their quality. When the dust settles, we’ll look back on that performance with immense pride."
He added: “We had a few moments in the second half where it didn’t quite drop for us, but when you make Chelsea defend their box as we did tonight, you can be really proud.
“Everyone involved put in a shift and there were some massive performances out there. It is an odd feeling, because we felt like we could have got something out of the game, but in the end their quality showed.
“Chelsea came here and showed us respect, they came with a strong team and really had to earn it.”
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