The Blues’ caretaker was proud of the performance put in by his side, while James made a point of pushing him towards the away fans at the final whistle as credit for a hard-fought point was shared between playing and coaching staff.
McFarlane told reporters afterwards: “I didn't want to do that, if I'm honest. But Reece asked me to. I think it's a good moment to maybe speak about the players. This is not an easy job. There's a lot of change that's gone on. Enzo was incredibly successful with this group. Some of them were shocked by the decision. So the character that they've shown in the last two days, the character that they've shown today, Reece is a big one, like Reece, Tosin [Adarabioyo], Enzo [Fernandez]. They've really dragged the group together because everyone thought we were coming here to lose.
“No one thought we stood a chance. But we knew that the character and the talent in this group did and they've really dragged it through. So I can't speak highly enough about the characters in the group. That's just another moment of Reece being selfless and wanting to share the applause, really.”
World Cup winner Fernandez told Sky Sports afterwards that many Chelsea players were disappointed to see Maresca depart, but they accept that change is part of professional sport. The Argentina international said: “Difficult moment for us. Enzo is a top manager, of course I am sad for him, but it’s part of football and life. We keep going, no more.”
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