Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca praised his team’s resilient performance in challenging conditions, emphasizing the positives despite dropping two points in a 0-0 draw against Everton at Goodison Park on Sunday.
The Blues initially created better opportunities during a tight first half, but as Everton grew into the game, Chelsea had to rely on goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to maintain the stalemate during a tense second half. Although the draw prevented Chelsea from temporarily overtaking Liverpool at the top of the Premier League table, Maresca expressed his satisfaction with the result, even comparing it favorably to their recent 2-1 victory over Brentford.
“I’m absolutely happy,” Maresca said with pride. “I told the players that I’m more pleased today than I was after the Brentford game. The reason is simple—I was quite concerned about today’s match. It was a tricky game in a tough stadium against a difficult opponent.”
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Everton, under Sean Dyche, may be battling relegation, but they are defensively robust. The Toffees now hold a league-high seven clean sheets this season, a statistic not lost on Maresca.
“They are exceptional defensively,” the Chelsea boss noted. “They’re one of the top five teams in Europe for clean sheets. It’s hard to create chances against them, and it wasn’t an easy game. You have to adapt to different styles—long balls, second balls, set pieces. Football isn’t just about what you do with the ball; it’s also about defending and dealing with these challenges.”
Reflecting further, Maresca reiterated his satisfaction: “Like I said, I’m happier today than after the Brentford game. Of course, we prepared to win, as always, but there’s another team out there with the same goal. Overall, we’re pleased.”
Chelsea’s performance could have been even sweeter had Nicolas Jackson capitalized on either of his two first-half chances. The striker’s misses left Chelsea trailing Liverpool by four points after the Reds secured a dominant win against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.