Chelsea moved to within two points of Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table with a 2-1 win over Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
The Reds still have a game in hand over them but it does show that the Blues are right up there and are in the title race as it stands, thanks to their fantastic form this season.
Enzo Maresca, who joined from Leicester City in the summer, has only lost two of his 16 Premier League matches with the London giants to date.
enzo-maresca-chelsea-premier-league
Chelsea are also four points ahead of Arsenal in third place and seven points ahead of reigning champions Manchester City in fifth, which speaks to how consistent the West London side have been.
Whilst winning the Premier League title would be the ultimate dream for this season for the Blues, achieving a Champions League place would also be a success, as they are currently competing in the Conference League - two steps down from the premier European competition.
A 2-1 win against Brentford at the weekend furthered their cause, and there were a number of strong performers on the pitch for Maresca against the Bees.
Chelsea's top performers against Brentford
Goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was crucial to the three points with three saves from four shots on his goal, preventing 0.73 xG despite Bryan Mbuemo's late goal.
robert-sanchez-chelsea-premier-league
Malo Gusto, who continues to shine in the absence of Reece James, put in a fantastic performance at right-back. The French whiz created two chances, made three tackles and interceptions combined, and made one block - showing quality in and out of possession.
Tosin Adarabioyo stepped up in place of the injured Wesley Fofana and provided a dominant presence at the back. He won nine of his ten duels, including all seven of his aerial contests, to dominate the Brentford attackers, and was unlucky not to stop Mbuemo in the 90th minute.
There was also a fourth Premier League assist of the season for Enzo Fernandez, who provided the through ball to set Nicolas Jackson away to score the second, and ultimately winning, goal.
The Argentina international has now produced three goals and seven assists in his last seven appearances for the Blues in all competitions, which shows that he has been in fantastic, influential, form at the top end of the pitch.
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Another player who caught the eye with a strong display in the final third for Maresca's side was right winger Noni Madueke, who thrived against the Bees.
Noni Madueke's performance against Brentford
The England international came in for the suspended Pedro Neto and grasped his opportunity with both hands, putting in an excellent performance on the flank.
In a hard-fought first-half from both sides, it was the left-footed wizard's sumptuous cross that found the head of Marc Cucurella to open the scoring just before the break. He shifted the ball to his left foot on the right wing and whipped in a teasing delivery that was perfect for the full-back to guide into the bottom corner.
Noni Madueke for Chelsea
Madueke, who played the full 90 minutes, completed 94% of his attempted passes in total and created two chances for his teammates, recording one assist.
The former PSV star failed to get himself on the scoresheet but was a constant threat at the top end of the pitch, with seven shots on goal, two of which were on target.
Madueke was one of the stars of the show for Chelsea in the win over Brentford, and his form in the Premier League this season shows that he is capable of stepping up when they need him.
24/25 Premier League Noni Madueke
Appearances 15
Goals 5
Big chances created 3
Assists 3
Completed dribbles per game 1.4
Stats via Sofascore
As you can see in the table above, the English maestro has averaged roughly a goal or an assist every other match, which speaks to his quality in the final third.
He has not consistently provided a threat as a goalscorer, or as a creator, but has consistently chipped in with a goal or an assist to help the team out, and has plenty of time to develop further over the months and years to come.
Noni Madueke is similar to £100m Premier League star
Maresca could hit the jackpot with Madueke by helping him to fulfill his potential, as his performances have already led to comparisons with Liverpool star Mohamed Salah.
Per FBref, the Egypt international is one of the most similar players to the Chelsea whiz from a statistical perspective this season, alongside the likes of Bukayo Saka and Mohammed Kudus.
[FBCharts] Mohamed Salah Comparisons
As you can see in the chart above, Madueke and Salah thrive in similar areas of the game and both excel, statistically, at generating non-penalty xG and Expected Assisted Goals per 90, which shows that they are both constant threats in the final third.
However, the Liverpool star's return of 13 goals and nine assists shows that the 32-year-old has the ruthless efficiency in his final action that the 22-year-old Chelsea gem is still searching for.
Salah, who was reportedly valued at £100m by the Reds in the summer, is the joint-top scorer in the Premier League and only Saka (ten) has more assists, which shows that he has been one of the best forwards in the division this season.
Madueke, who was once dubbed an "elite talent" by scout Jacek Kulig, is also a left-footed right winger who looks to make things happen by cutting inside onto his stronger foot to make things happen in the final third, but needs to find consistency in his end product.
A return of five goals and three assists in 15 Premier League matches so far is a decent, but not outstanding, showing from the England international, and there could be more to come from him when you consider his underlying numbers are not a million miles away from Salah's.
Therefore, Maresca could hit gold for the Blues if he can work with Madueke on the training pitch to add that consistency and decision-making to his game to take the forward to the next level to be a Salah-esque £100m talent.
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