Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has been given a sack verdict following the Blues' shock 2-1 loss to Sunderland in Saturday's Premier League affair.
The Blues were on course to spoil the Black Cats' party at Stamford Bridge, as with just four minutes gone, Alejandro Garnacho fired a low strike underneath Robin Roefs's body to break the deadlock.
However, Chelsea's advantage was wiped out before half time, as the hosts failed to deal with a long throw into the box, and Wilson Isidor fired home the leveller after a goalmouth scramble.
Subsequent chances for Chelsea to retake the lead went begging, and in the third minute of added time, the Club World Cup winners' exposed backline was carved open by one long ball over the top, and Brian Brobbey laid off Chemsdine Talbi to complete a spectacular turnaround.
If Arsenal beat Crystal Palace on Sunday, Chelsea will already be eight points below the Gunners in the Premier League table, but ex-Chelsea winger Pat Nevin has exclusively told Sports Mole that it is too premature to talk about dismissing Maresca.
Enzo Maresca: Three things Chelsea boss should be cut slack for
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca on May 28, 2025“There's a number of things he should get cut slack for," Nevin told Sports Mole. "Number one, you win the Club World Cup, you never get any pre-season. That's going to affect you.
“Injuries on top of that. Not an excuse, a reason. It's a young team. They're going to make mistakes. Particularly the centre-backs. It was sixth and seventh-choice centre-backs they were playing by the end against Liverpool, but they still managed to get through. And this is going to affect them all season.
“He wanted a centre-back who had a bit more experience and never got it. We got another six wingers. Maresca, to be fair, I wasn’t really looking at him. I was looking at more of a holistic view of what the whole club is.
“Is it absolutely perfectly balanced yet? Not quite yet, but is it balanced enough with a fair wind, and not too many injuries, to get top four? Yeah.
"Winning the league? That's a long shot, especially as the likes of Arsenal look a long way ahead of them in terms of squad size, depth and good balance, and experience.”
Worrying home stat highlights Chelsea problems after Sunderland loss
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca in October 2025.
The Blues board are also thought to be giving no consideration to sacking Maresca, who ought not fear for his position unless his side experience a particularly disastrous run in the coming weeks.
However, Chelsea have experienced particular problems trying to maintain a home advantage, as of their eight points dropped at home this season, six have come from winning positions.
The Conference League holders were also in the ascendancy against Brighton & Hove Albion in September, only to fall apart after Trevoh Chalobah's red card in a 3-1 defeat.
On the other hand, Sunderland benefitted from just their third-ever 90+ minute winning goal in the Premier League era, and their first since a last-gasp Adam Johnson strike against Newcastle United in 2014.
Pat Nevin was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of online casino BetWright.
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