Pellegrini: We have to reflect on this

What was lacking tonight?

“I don’t know. They played really well and we didn’t. They won, they deserved to and it’s fair that’s how it went. There’s a lot of disappointment, a lot of anger – maybe right now it is better to reflect on things and not talk too much, otherwise things might be said that shouldn’t be said.”

How can the team get better in attack?

“We prepared for this game like we did for the others in Serie A – games that went really well. But in the end out there on the pitch they put in a great performance and that’s why they got the win.

"We are all disappointed, frustrated – we put a lot of hopes into this Europa League, because it was a chance to produce something we were not able to do in the league.”

What’s your assessment of your season as a whole?

“I wanted to do better – I know I’ve had highs and lows throughout the season. Unfortunately I’ve had a few different injuries, so I’m trying to do everything to minimise the chances of that happening again in future.

"Two of the injuries were contact ones, though. It’s never easy to be sidelined when you are trying to find consistency. My aim is to keep improving each day, and that doesn’t change whether we are winning or losing.

"There’s a lot of sadness now, because we really wanted to go as far as we could in this competition. Unfortunately it went how it did, we deserved to lose – so now we need to stay quiet and focus on the future.”