As defeat to Ipswich ended a miserable Christmas, Enzo Maresca claimed his Chelsea side were still heading in the right direction but were still a work in progress.
After a Liam Delap penalty and a goal from former Chelsea youth player Omari Hutchinson earned the team a point from three festive matches, hopes of a surprise Premier League title win appear to be over.
The Chelsea coach, who previously insisted his side were not ready to challenge for the title, said: “We expected this kind of moment during the season because we know that this kind of moment belongs to football. It is almost impossible to have a season in which you do not have a moment like now for the club.” for us.
Chelsea occupies fourth place in the standings, 10 points behind leaders Liverpool, but is in the race to qualify for the Champions League. “None of us in this room expected us to be where we are now,” Mariska added. He added: “This means and shows that we are moving in the right direction, as I have said many times, but it also shows that we are far from competing.” [with] “Consistency and being with the best teams in England.”
“I think we are [have] To be satisfied with where we are but at the same time we need to know what we are [can] Do things better,” concluded the Italian.
Maresca did not challenge, and a penalty looked easy for Delap in the opener when he brought down the striker, Filip Jorgensen, who scored from the spot to spark the end of Ipswich’s chase for their first home win in the Premier League. “They said it was a bit of a weak penalty, but we have to accept that it is a penalty,” he said, shrugging his shoulders.
Both Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna and Maresca – who coached Delap at Manchester City – were full of praise for the 21-year-old. “He’s a different beast than the player he was in July,” McKenna said. “His rate of improvement for a young player is really high,” McKenna said. “His style is fun to watch for anyone. There aren’t many like him and he plays with great defenders in the Premier League every week.
Goals from Delap and Hutchinson led to joyful celebrations throughout at Portman Road, as Ipswich ended a 22-year wait for a Premier League win at home. “One of the best nights,” McKenna said after concluding 2024 with a long-awaited win.
“We were privileged to have a lot of good nights. This was special for the players and the fans,” the manager said. Ipswich climbed above Leicester to 19th, one point behind Wolves and two ahead of Everton.
“There was hope in the shows overall,” McKenna concluded. “We were competitive almost every game. If you do that, you always have a chance.”