“It was a really challenging first 15 minutes, but after that we controlled the game quite well,” Vieira said in his post-match press conference. “This is why the draw hurts, because of the performance that we had today.
“I’m really disappointed for my players, because they played well, they showed a lot of character and personality. They played high and we managed to win the ball. We came back and scored those two goals. So not leaving with a win, I’m really disappointed for my players.
“On merit, yes, I think we were the better team today. This is why we as a football club are really disappointed not to leave the stadium with a win.”
Vieira explained the tactical thinking behind his side, with Odsonne Edouard starting on the left before being replaced by centre-back James Tomkins with 10 minutes remaining.
“I knew that Odsonne could play on the left-hand side, because he has played that position before with the French national team,” Vieira explained. “He was really good. The front three worked hard, and they showed quality on the ball.
“I think we showed that we are a squad, and there are players on the bench that can play at that level and that is really good for us.
“On the left side we had [Kieran] Tierney, who was giving the width and he was giving us lots of problems. So we went with the back five, and had four midfielders really tight. At the end, outside of Tierney’s chance they didn’t create much.
“Even if you look at the way we conceded the second goal, it was unlucky. But again, that shows we still need to improve a lot of parts of our game.”