Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has been under pressure recently and his reaction to them grabbing a crucial late win at Fulham on Sunday was epic, as he jumped on the pitch to celebrate Pedro Neto’s 93rd minute winner.
Maresca was shown a yellow card for his celebration but he did not care, as Chelsea won away from home in the Premier League for the first time in eight games.
After trailing 1-0 for most of the game, youngster Tyrique George jumped off the bench to bag a late equalizer for Chelsea, then Pedro Neto smashed home a stunner in stoppage time as the Blues boosted their hopes of Champions League qualification.
Maresca will be delighted to see his side back to winning ways as they aim to return to Europe’s top table.
Enzo Maresca reaction
“Very happy. First of all because I think we deserved to win the game,” Maresca told the BBC. “We started well in the first 20 minutes then we conceded a goal unfortunately and in a match that is must win, it’s not easy for the players.
“It becomes more difficult but second half, we also changed something tactically and it was much better. We were a little bit more dynamic with Malo Gusto inside. He is doing this fantastically for us since day one and second half we were much better.”
He also heaped praise on young goalscorer Tyrique George who drew Chelsea level late on.
“He [George] is a talent, he has to work hard. He’s doing well with us, deserved a chance and the goal was fantastic. It was all very important because it gave us an energy boost for the last push,” Maresca added.
Pedro Neto reaction
On Chelsea’s top five hopes: “The belief has always been there, even in the bad moments. Sometimes in this game it is not about the quality, it’s about the spirit and that’s what we showed today - and I think we deserved to win.”
On the run-in being crucial for Chelsea: “I think it could be a big part of the season for us. We showed character. To be honest, I have no words. It is not easy to spend all season in the top four and we were out before this game. The character the team showed, we now need to think about Everton.”
