Enzo Maresca thinks Chelsea’s 2-1 win against West Ham United was a big one for his side.
Chelsea found themselves 1-0 down at the break after Jarrod Bowen managed to give West Ham United the lead in the first half.
It was looking like one of those games for Enzo Maresca‘s men until Pedro Neto equalised in the 64th minute.
Some good work from Cole Palmer then resulted in Aaron Wan-Bissaka deflecting the ball into his own net to hand Chelsea all three points. Neto and Marc Cucurella spoke after the victory and so did Maresca.
Enzo Maresca admits Chelsea find it hard to play against low blocks
While Chelsea managed to get the win in the end, their former manager Graham Potter did not make things easy for them.
West Ham were compact and sat deep, and Maresca thinks the fact that Chelsea managed to overcome that made the victory a huge one.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the game, the Chelsea head coach said: “Huge. The reason why is, first of all, because it was a tough game, especially mentally because it’s never easy when teams come here and sit back. You need to be patient. There is no space. There is nowhere we can attack so you have to move the ball and wait for the right moment. It’s not easy.
“I think we shot more than 10 times in the first half and unfortunately, we missed the target. Then they score so it’s not easy. Second half we came back and I think we completely deserved to win the game.”
Maresca was lauded by Chelsea supporters for making early substitutions on the night. He brought on Neto and Marc Guiu before the hour mark, and it was the former who got the Blues back into the match.
Chelsea’s stats against West Ham
Chelsea were not at their best — they have not been for a while — but Maresca’s men probably just about deserved the three points.
They saw plenty of the ball, with their ball possession being 67.9%. The Blues also had more shots than their opponents, registering 22.
Their xG was slightly higher, while Chelsea also had more touches inside the box than Potter’s side.
| Chelsea vs West Ham statistics | Chelsea | West Ham |
| Ball possession | 67.9% | 32.1% |
| Total shots | 22 | 14 |
| xG | 1.37 | 1.12 |
| Touches inside the box | 34 | 24 |
Going forward, Chelsea supporters will want to see more efficient performances, but the most important thing is that they won.
That victory has taken them back into the top four and above Premier League champions Manchester City. With the January transfer window now closed, there should be no more distractions either, giving the Blues a real chance to kick on now and have a successful campaign.
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