Chelsea’s 2-1 win over Lincoln City was more difficult than Enzo Maresca would have liked.
It was a long 90 minutes away to League One side Lincoln, with Chelsea unconvincing for large parts of the game. The Blues gave themselves work to do after falling behind in the first half.
Tyrique George and Facundo Buonanotte bailed out Enzo Maresca with two quick goals after the break, and Chelsea were able to get the win over the line.
Many fans questioned the Chelsea performance, wondering how they could struggle so much against a team far below their usual level. Malo Gusto has attempted to explain.
Malo Gusto says Chelsea were taken by surprise against Lincoln City
Gusto was one of Chelsea’s better performers on the night. He needed that after some underwhelming showings in recent weeks.
After the win, he spoke to BBC about the team performance and why they had so much trouble against this particular opponent.
Gusto explains: “The way that they play, I have never seen that in my life before, but that is their qualities and they tried to win the game. So we had to deal with that and I think we did quite well today.”
Lincoln took the game to Chelsea, peppering their goal in the first half at every opportunity. The way they play, as he put it, was with intensity and an aim to target set pieces and bother the Chelsea defenders.
They ended the first 45 with double the xG, and some fans were beginning to worry about an upset.
But the second half was much different, as Gusto explains: “The first half was very complicated for us to get into the game, but second half was much better because we came back with more energy and more desire.
“We kept fighting on the pitch in the second half and I think that’s why we won. Very happy to get into the next round.”
Lincoln manager Michael Skubala said similar to Gusto
Lincoln can hold their heads high after this display against a Champions League side.
Manager Michael Skubala certainly isn’t blaming his players for losing the lead, but rather encouraging their effort.
Like Gusto, he recognises that this was a very different game for Chelsea, as he explains: “Not many teams press Chelsea how we pressed them tonight.”
If you are to take Gusto’s words at face value, no team has pressed Maresca’s side like that before.
Skubala is under no illusions about where the game was lost, citing that quick burst of quality after the break: “Looking at the players on the pitch towards the end, we were still trying to get something. A period of five minutes of quality that they have has hurt us.”
Not the convincing performance Chelsea fans would have liked, but the win is secured and the next round beckons.
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