Enzo Maresca says his Chelsea deserved to beat Brentford, despite the shaky finish at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues won 2-1, but their backs were in poor condition in the final 10 minutes after Brian Mbeumo pulled a goal back and Mark Cucurella was sent off.
Chelsea took the lead through their full-back just before half-time, who headed home after a series of crosses from the home side had put the Bees under serious pressure.
It seemed that the Blues would regret the missed opportunities, especially Nicholas Jackson, who wasted a decisive opportunity in the match.
With an open goal to shoot at, his first shot from a cross flew over the bar and into the stands.
But the Senegalese international scored in the 80th minute, collecting a through ball from Enzo Fernandes and shooting it into the corner.
Cucurella gifted Brentford the ball and Mbeumo capitalized by slotting the ball past Robert Sanchez a few minutes before the end of the game.
🔵📈 Chelsea, led by Enzo Maresca, now ranks second in the English Premier League. ✅ pic.twitter.com/CDa0NV8Fwb
– Eurofoot (@eurofootcom) December 15, 2024
The Spanish player was sent off after the final whistle, which negatively affected the course of the game.
However, Maresca maintained his positive attitude in his post-match press conference.
He said: “We were in control of the match, except for the last ten minutes, in which we conceded. This is normal.
“We created chances. We could have scored more. We deserved to win the game.”
“It's all about the position. You have to be in the right position, and if you are you'll have the opportunity.
“We worked with Mark in this game to get in the right place. We are very happy. This is not something normal because he is not a big full-back. We worked all week on this type of solution and we were lucky.
“I said after the Tottenham game that he (Jackson) didn't score but he did the most important thing. The rest of us were celebrating and he was the only one who had the ball. He worked hard off the ball.
“Only two teams have conceded less than us. Defensively, we are not in bad shape. We would like to finish with a clean sheet but there is another team trying to score.”
He left with a departing comment about the title race, adding: “It's not about how many games we win. It's about being realistic. There are things we have to do better. That's why you told me we're not ready.”
