Enzo Maresca says Chelsea deserved to beat Brentford, despite a shaky finish at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues ran out 2-1 winners but had their backs against the wall in the last 10 minutes after Bryan Mbeumo pulled a goal back and Marc Cucurella was sent off.
Chelsea took the lead just before half-time with their full-back sending a header into the net after a flurry of crosses from the home side put the Bees under serious pressure.
It looked like the Blues would rue their missed chances, particularly Nicolas Jackson, who missed an absolute man of the match.
With an open goal to aim for, his first-time cross flew over the bar and into the stands.
But the Senegal international grabbed his goal in the 80th minute, closing down Enzo Fernandes through the ball and drilling into the corner.
Cucurella gifted possession to Brentford and Mbeumo capitalized by slotting the ball past Robert Sanchez with just minutes to go.
🔵📈 Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are now 2nd in the Premier League. ✅ pic.twitter.com/CDa0NV8Fwb
— EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) December 15, 2024
The Spaniard was then sent off after the final whistle to put a slight damper on proceedings.
Despite this, Maresca kept a positive attitude at the post-match press conference.
He said: “We were in control of the game except for the last 10 minutes where we conceded. It’s normal.
“We created opportunities. We could have scored more. We deserved to win the game.”
“It’s all about position. You have to be in the right place and if you are you will have a chance.
“We worked with Marc in this game to arrive and be in the right position. We are very happy. It’s not normal because he’s not a big back. We worked week for this kind of solution and we were lucky.
“I said after the Tottenham game that (Jackson) didn’t score but he did the most important thing. The others were celebrating and he was the only one going for the ball. He worked hard off the ball.
“Only two teams have conceded less than us. Defensively we are not doing badly. We would like to finish with a clean sheet, but there is another team trying to score.”
He left with a disappointing comment on the title race, adding: “It’s not about how many games we win. The point is to be realistic. There are things we need to do better. That’s why I said for myself that we are not ready.”
