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The Blues head coach analysed his team’s collapse against the Cottagers on Boxing Day.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has expressed his disappointment at his team's 2-1 Boxing Day defeat to Fulham, but highlighted the importance of learning from the loss.
Chelsea vs Fulham
Despite leading at half-time after a Cole Palmer goal, Chelsea were unable to maintain their control in the second half, allowing Fulham to score two late goals through Harry Wilson and Rodrigo Muniz and secure a historic victory at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca admitted to frustration, particularly with the manner in which his team conceded the winning goal in stoppage time.
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He felt that Chelsea had managed the game well in the first half, limiting Fulham's opportunities on the counter-attack.
However, he acknowledged that his team gave the Cottagers too much space in the opening stages of the second half, allowing them to build momentum and ultimately turn the game around.
“It’s a game that for me, before you attack you need to give passes, passes, passes, because that makes us close together, and in the moment that we lose the ball we can be aggressive,” said Maresca after the loss.
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“But if we want to attack with one or two passes, then we are stretched, we are open, and they can hurt us.
“There is some frustration, especially for the way we conceded the goal at the end. It’s a bad feeling, also because I’ve said many times, when you can’t win it’s important you don’t lose.
“For sure one of the things we could have done better was the game management.”
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19:16 - 26.12.2024
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Enzo Maresca’s men were stunned at Stamford Bridge despite taking the lead.
Despite the defeat, Maresca emphasised the importance of learning from the experience.
What next for Chelsea?
Maresca’s team are back in Premier League action against Ipswich on December 30, keen to return to winning ways against the new boys.
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