Maurizio Sarri conceded luck was on Chelsea’s side as they came from behind to win 2-1 at Cardiff in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Blues had lost four of their previous five away games in the top flight and they looked in danger of extending that poor run when Víctor Camarasa gave Cardiff the lead at the start of the second half.

It took Chelsea until the 84th minute to force an equaliser and there was more than a suspicion of offside about Cesar Azpilicueta’s header.

Cardiff boss Neil Warnock was certainly furious with the decision and he was even more angry when Chelsea snatched the win thanks to Ruben Loftus-Cheeks’s late header.

Sarri had sympathy for his counterpart after the match and admitted that luck was on Chelsea’s side as they claimed all three points.

“We were lucky,” Sarri told reporters. “Because in the first half we didn’t play very well. We conceded a goal similar to the one at Everton but today we were able to react better.

We were lucky for the timing, we were lucky for our first goal, but in the end I think we deserved to win.

“Neil (Warnock) told me he was sure it was offside by two yards. He told me about the referee’s decision but I can understand the situation, they are fighting against relegation, today was very important for them and they were winning 10 minutes from the end, so I understand.”

The victory leaves Chelsea sixth in the league standings, but they are now just a point off the Champions League places and they are priced at 2.75 to finish in the top four come the end of the season.