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Enzo Maresca says his Chelsea team deserved to beat Brentford, despite a shaky finish at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues won 2-1 but had their backs against the wall in the final 10 minutes after Bryan Mbeumo pulled a goal back and Marc Cucurella was sent off.
Chelsea took the lead thanks to their full-back just before the break, who headed into the back of the net after a series of crosses from the home side had put the Bees under huge pressure.
It looked like the Blues would rue their missed chances, particularly Nicolas Jackson who missed an absolute sitter in the match.
With an open goal to aim for, his first shot from a cross flew over the crossbar and into the stands.
But the Senegalese international scored his goal in the 80th minute, taking advantage of a pass from Enzo Fernández and penetrating the corner.
Cucurella gifted possession to Brentford and Mbeumo took advantage by sliding the ball past Robert Sánchez with just minutes remaining.
🔵📈 Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are now 2nd in the Premier League. ✅ pic.twitter.com/CDa0NV8Fwb
-EuroFoot (@eurofootcom) December 15, 2024
The Spaniard was sent off after the final whistle to slow down the game a little.
However, Maresca maintained a positive attitude in his post-match press conference.
He said: “We were in control of the game except for the last 10 minutes, where we conceded. It’s normal.
“We create opportunities. We could have scored more. “We deserved to win the game.”
“It’s about position. You have to be in the right position and if you are you will have a chance.
“We worked with Marc in this game to get there and be in the right position. We are very happy. It is not something normal because he is not a great side. We worked during the week for this type of solution and we have been lucky.
“I said after the Tottenham game that he (Jackson) didn’t score, but he did the most important thing. The rest celebrated and he was the only one who went for the ball. Without the ball he worked hard.
“Only two teams have conceded less than us. Defensively we are not doing bad. “We would like to finish with a clean sheet but there is another team trying to score.”
He left with a final comment on the title race, adding: “It’s not about how many games we win. It’s about being realistic. There are things we have to do better. That’s why I said we’re not ready.”
