Previously, head coach Maresca said that Palmer is Chelsea's best player, with the Englishman topping the club's goal contributions charts in recent years. And he didn't deviate a huge amount from that stance after the game.
"The game is never finished. We had many chances, we missed. But overall I'm happy with the clean sheet and the performance," said the Italian. "We said many times with Cole [Palmer] we are a better team. Unfortunately he was out for many games for us, but now he's back and for sure he will help us."
Maresca was also quick to laud the performances of Reece James and Malo Gusto - who scored and bagged an assist against Everton.
He added: "They are good players and when they are good players they can play in every position. They can play full-back and midfielder. [Malo Gusto] took the chance and his assist for Cole, so I am very happy for Malo. If we are not able to win, win, win that still doesn't mean we're not ready to compete for titles. "When you don't concede it's not just about one player, it's about all the team. Joao Pedro's press, Alejandro Garnacho's press."