Assistant coach Zsolt Low has acknowledged that Chelsea were made to 'work very hard' to see off Al-Hilal in the Club World Cup semi-finals on Wednesday evening.
Although Romelu Lukaku's first-half goal proved to be the difference, the European champions had to rely on goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga on multiple occasions during the second period.
After setting up a showdown with Palmeiras on Saturday, Low feels that the Blues were "lacking rhythm" during the last-four clash in Abu Dhabi.
Speaking to reporters after the match, Low said: "We worked very hard. We missed a bit of freedom and rhythm. We started a little nervous, it was not easy. We fought hard for it to find a solution.
"My opinion is the solution was there but we didn't find it easily. We missed a bit of rhythm in this game but we fought hard to get the result and reach the final.
"This competition is very important for the club. The players felt the pressure and that's why we failed to find the easy solution and score goals. The players did well. We didn't concede and had a lot of opportunities to score a second."
Low was standing in for head coach Thomas Tuchel, who continues to isolate in London after recording a positive coronavirus test.
Darren Plant
