Enzo Maresca hails Chelsea mentality after ending staggering 12-year hoodoo
Enzo Maresca hails Chelsea mentality after ending staggering 12-year hoodoo
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Enzo Maresca hailed the mental strength of his Chelsea players after they battled back from a half-time deficit to win at home for the first time since 2013. There was an element of fortune about their comeback with Pedro Neto’s equaliser facing a lengthy VAR check before Cole Palmer’s effort was unfortunately deflected in by Aaron Wan-Bissaka for the winner. But after making a recent habit of letting leads slip, Maresca said: "I’m happy because it was the toughest game for us mentally.
“They sat back waiting for our mistakes and left no space to attack. They tried to frustrate us so you need to be mentally strong. “In the first half we had clear, clear chances and conceded from a mistake. We needed to be mentally strong. My message at half time was not to change anything. “Second half found more space and the guys from the bench were very good. "I didn't know that about losing the first half but it's happened many times we were winning and didn't win. But it's football. What's important is the performance and we completely deserved to win the game.”.
Despite defeat West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen, who had put the visitors in front on his comeback from injury, expects there to be "good times ahead" under Graham Potter. "A lot of different positive things, we've got players coming back from injury, performances have been a lot better since the new manager has come in," Bowen said. "It's an exciting time to be coming back into the squad.". Potter added: "It was a really positive performance. We had a good understanding of how we wanted to defend and attack.
“We could have done better on the ball but in terms of the gameplan we restricted them. We felt unlucky for the first goal. The spirit and application of the team was there but it wasn't to be.”. Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
