Maresca Slams Chelsea's Dismal Performance, Reveals Why He Pulled Estevao Early
Enzo Maresca acknowledged that Chelsea had no grounds to dispute their 3-1 loss to Leeds United on Wednesday evening, admitting the Blues were dominated "in every department."
Confidence had been soaring at Chelsea following an impressive week that included a commanding 3-0 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League and a 1-1 stalemate with Premier League table-toppers Arsenal that could have delivered more. However, Wednesday's journey to Elland Road delivered a harsh wake-up call.
Jaka Bijol nodded the underdogs into an early lead, before Ao Tanaka's thunderous strike added a well-earned second before halftime. Replacement Pedro Neto reduced the arrears shortly after the interval, but some disastrous defending from the back gifted Dominic Calvert-Lewin the opportunity to seal the victory with less than 20 minutes remaining.
"An extremely disappointing evening," Maresca stated frankly. "[Leeds] earned their victory, they were superior in every department.
"There is nothing positive we can extract from this match. The only option available is to attempt to comprehend our errors, try to regroup, because in 48 hours we face another fixture.
"I trust that we experienced a terrible evening because they were... with possession, without possession, loose balls, they were significantly better than us in every area."
Neto, praised by Maresca as among the very few bright spots after the final whistle, provided a completely unimpressed assessment to Sky Sports.
"They outperformed us in every aspect," he admitted. "It's hard to accept, we must learn from this experience but we need to clear our heads, these things occur. We are already concentrating on Bournemouth.
"Occasionally this happens, we had an off day, they showed more energy, commitment, won the loose balls and demonstrated greater hunger than us. We must not take matches lightly. Naturally it stings, it's the most painful aspect of football. Sometimes you can lose and claim you gave your all on the field, but today we must accept some accountability, every one of us. Sometimes this occurs, we are only human.
"We enjoyed a really strong month, it's simply one poor day. We have no justification for that. Everyone desires victory."
Estêvão Substituted After 'Welcome to Leeds' Incident
With Chelsea pursuing an equalizer at halftime, there was considerable shock to witness Maresca remove 18-year-old Estêvão who, despite struggling in the opening period, remains among the Blues' most creative forwards.
When asked to justify his choice after the match, Maresca revealed he worried Estêvão might have allowed the intensity of the encounter to overwhelm him, with a frustrated lunge at Gabriel Gudmundsson earning a yellow card six minutes before halftime.
"I believe the situation with Estêvão was, you understand, somewhat 'welcome to Leeds,'" Maresca explained.
"Sometimes at 18 years old, you find it difficult to control emotions, so it was wiser to substitute him and prevent any dismissal."
Maresca also revealed Chelsea greatly missed the presence of suspended midfielder Moisés Caicedo, whose red card against Arsenal will keep him unavailable for two additional matches.
"We lacked Moi this evening," Maresca recognized. "We will miss Moi in the upcoming match. He's a crucial player.
"Moi is a player who for us is a vital player for any squad globally, because he's exceptional."