I saw Enzo Maresca transform ‘excellent’ Chelsea star into a match-winner in 4-3 victory over Spurs

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Defensively, Chelsea were far from convincing in their London derby against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Enzo Maresca‘s men conceded three goals, including two before the 15th minute. Marc Cucurella’s session of ice skating cost his side dearly, while Benoit Badiashile looked so uncomfortable trying to defend on the right side of Chelsea‘s central defence.

Jamie Carragher was very critical of Cucurella, describing his gaffe with his boots as “schoolboy”.

Going forward, though, the Blues were terrific, with Cole Palmer, Jadon Sancho and Enzo Fernandez all standing out. They are now the top scorers in the Premier League with 35 goals.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	14	11	2	1	29	11	18	35
2	ChelseaChelsea	15	9	4	2	35	18	17	31
3	ArsenalArsenal	15	8	5	2	29	15	14	29
4	Man CityManchester City	15	8	3	4	27	21	6	27
5	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	15	7	4	4	19	18	1	25
6	Aston VillaAston Villa	15	7	4	4	23	23	0	25

• READ MORE: Harry Redknapp now suggests £180k-a-week Chelsea player is starting to become as important as Cole Palmer

Enzo Maresca has transformed Enzo Fernandez

When Chelsea bought Fernandez, they were expecting the 23-year-old to come in and dictate games for them.

It is one reason why many felt that his £107m price tag was too much. He was not the kind of player capable of scoring goals to win his side games.

Yet under Maresca, that is what the midfielder is slowly becoming. Against Tottenham, Fernandez took up some really dangerous attacking positions and benefited from doing such after scoring the goal that put Chelsea 3-2 up in north London.

That is how Maresca has been utilising Fernandez since bringing him back into the team, with the Argentine also netting in wins against Aston Villa and Leicester City.

All in all, right now, Fernandez looks like a match-winner for Chelsea. He is producing moments of pure quality in the final third.

When former midfielder Robbie Earle discussed Fernandez after the Blues’ victory over Leicester, he said: “I thought he was excellent during the game”.

Enzo Fernandez’s numbers vs Tottenham

Fernandez’s goal against Tottenham was a difficult one to score. He finished the game with an xG of just 0.13.

The Argentina international can be really pleased with how he took his goal, then, but also with his overall performance.

Fernandez registered one key pass, created one big chance and won five of his ground duels.

It has taken a while, but it looks like the Enzo Fernandez who helped Argentina to win the World Cup has finally arrived at Chelsea.