Enzo Maresca was positive about Chelsea’s performance despite their 2-0 loss at fellow Champions League hopefuls Newcastle United on Sunday, writes Mitchell Hall.
A sucker punch of a second-minute opener from Sandro Tonali was made worse when striker Nicolas Jackson received a red card for an alleged deliberate elbow on Sven Botman.
Bruno Guimaraes compounded the misery with a 90th minute goal to send Newcastle up to third in the table, three points clear of the west Londoners.
Aston Villa’s win at Bournemouth means they are level on points with Chelsea in the last Champions League place with two games remaining, for which the Blues will be without Jackson.
Maresca maintained he was content with his team’s performance. He said: “The second-half performance was pleasing. It was already difficult to come to St James’ Park, but to come here and for one hour to play with 10 players, is not an easy thing.
“The idea was to control the game a little bit more and not concede anything. Unfortunately we conceded after a minute or two and the game changed, but all in all the team did quite well.
“We had three clear chances in the second half, from Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez and Reece James. The important thing is to arrive there.
“Being with 10 players and creating three clear chances is not easy – we did that.”
The result came off the back of a seven-game unbeaten streak in the league, with the Blues’ last defeat coming at the hands of Arsenal in mid-March.
Maresca was keen to urge his players to move on from the defeat and focus on their next match, as they prepare to host a Manchester United side who are winless in their last seven league games.
He said: “In the second half the team showed effort, togetherness, spirit, and the energy was unbelievable.
“I told them that we need to keep this energy for Friday, and then we will see.
“Unfortunately we did not score, but now is the moment to think about the next game.
“My message in their last five or six games that we won in a row has always been the same, the game is gone, it is finished, focus on the next one.
“Today the message is exactly the same.”
Chelsea’s odds of a comeback were slashed in the 36th minute when Jackson was deemed to have looked at Newcastle defender Botman before striking him with his elbow during an aerial duel, leading to the Senegalese being sent off for violent conduct.
Maresca implied that the hostile atmosphere inside St James’ Park could have contributed to the decision.
He said: “The red card is not only for today, it is for the next two games. For him the season is finished.
“If the referee decides it is a red card it is because they are convinced it is a red card. sometimes it looks too easy to take some decisions in this stadium with this noise.
“We have two Premier League games, we need to win on Friday and then we can be focused on the next one.”
PICTURE: ALAMY