Eppe Franklyne –
- Chelsea secured a 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, ending a five-match winless streak in the Premier League.
- Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke scored in the second half after a first-half equalizer from Matt Doherty.
- Manager Enzo Maresca praised his team’s response, especially after a late first-half setback.
- Despite conceding 27 goals, Maresca downplayed concerns over Chelsea’s defensive record.
- Maresca also defended goalkeeper Robert Sanchez after a mistake led to Wolves’ equalizer.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was pleased with his team’s performance as they ended a five-game winless streak in the Premier League with a 3-1 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday. After Tosin Adarabioyo’s early goal was canceled out by Matt Doherty’s equalizer just before halftime, Chelsea regrouped in the second half, with Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke finding the net to seal the win.
The result lifted Chelsea into fourth place, and Maresca commended his side for their resilience following two recent draws where they had squandered early leads. “The performance until 40 minutes was very good, but then the last five minutes we struggled,” Maresca acknowledged in his post-match comments to BBC. “They scored, and we lost a bit of confidence, which has happened a few times this season. We need to learn to manage these situations better, but in the second half, we started well and deserved to win the game.”
Despite the victory, Maresca did not shy away from discussing areas for improvement, particularly in defense. Chelsea has conceded 27 goals in the Premier League this season, but the manager was not overly concerned about their defensive record. “If I’m not wrong, only four or five teams in the league have conceded less than us. So why ask about a defensive problem?” he said. “The balance is quite good between offensive and defensive.”
Maresca also stood by goalkeeper Robert Sanchez, who had made a mistake leading to Wolves’ equalizer. Sanchez fumbled a corner kick, allowing Doherty to score. “It’s part of our job when you make mistakes,” Maresca noted. “Robert has saved us many times, it happens, no problem.”
With 40 points, Chelsea now sits four points behind third-placed Nottingham Forest and second-placed Arsenal, and Maresca emphasized the importance of maintaining momentum after their first win in over a month.
