Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was shown a red card amid the pandemonium of his side’s last-minute victory against Liverpool in the Premier League. The match, which had been evenly matched at 1-1 going into stoppage time, saw Estevao Willian steal the limelight with his extra-time winner. Chelsea began the game on a stronger note than the reigning Premier League champions and were fittingly rewarded when Moises Caicedo netted an extraordinary opening goal.
However, Liverpool rallied in the second half, equalising when Cody Gakpo fired home following a superb touch by Alexander Isak. Both teams strived for the decisive goal, and it was the hosts who made the breakthrough deep into the seven minutes of added time. A cross from Marc Cucurella was met perfectly by Estevao, who secured a big three points. As the Brazilian dashed towards the crowd to celebrate, Maresca could be seen joining in the jubilation. Having left his technical area, the Chelsea boss was given a second yellow card, his first having been issued earlier for overly enthusiastic appeals for a penalty.
The sending off means Maresca will serve a touchline ban after the October international break when Chelsea face Nottingham Forest at the City Ground. However, given his team’s impressive performance, it’s unlikely that Maresca is too concerned about that right now.
After two consecutive Premier League losses, the three points are a significant boost for Maresca, with Chelsea climbing to sixth place.
The odds were firmly stacked against the Blues throughout the clash with Benoit Badiashile and Josh Acheampong, Maresca’s starting centre-back partnership, both forced off through injury.
The two defenders join Tosin Adarabioyo, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, and Trevoh Chalobah in being unavailable, though the latter pair are anticipated to return within a fortnight.
One individual who will be unable to influence matters is naturally Maresca after he received two yellow cards.
Cole Palmer has been absent from Chelsea’s previous two fixtures and whilst there remains optimism he could return following the two-week domestic break, the most recent update from Maresca indicates otherwise.
“Cole is still out,” he acknowledged before the match. “I don’t have any updates at the moment. We have a meeting this week to see how he is, and we will then decide [whether he can return after the international break].”
One fitness boost was Romeo Lavia’s display from the substitutes’ bench following a difficult period with injury troubles.
Joao Pedro was also handled cautiously during the encounter as he was substituted by Marc Guiu with approximately 20 minutes remaining.
The summer signing will also stay at Cobham to continue his recovery from the problem that has been troubling him over recent months.
