The Blues’ performance at Leeds was far from “great”, but Neto did net his fifth top-flight goal of the season. Alongside two assists, he has matched his best Premier League return from 2020-21 - during his time at Wolves.
Maresca added on the Portugal international winger: “Pedro, compared to last season, he is doing many things better. It’s also normal now this season that he is scoring goals and getting assists.”
Chelsea will be back in action on Saturday when taking in a trip to Bournemouth. Maresca said of recovering quickly ahead of that contest: “Now we need to reset, we need to prepare for Saturday’s game. Saturday will be very similar to last night’s game with the environment, the intensity, and we need to reset and prepare to win the game.”
Palmer will expect to see more game time against the Cherries, as he works on recovering full match fitness and sharpness. He has two goals to his name this season - registered against Brentford and Bayern Munich in Premier League and Champions League competition - and has a crucial role to play in Maresca’s plans.