Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has praised his team for their gritty performance against Arsenal in the latest iteration of England’s major London Derby.
Both teams battled it out on Sunday, but it ended in a 1-1 draw, which Chelsea appreciated more for many reasons. Chief among them is the fact that they were down to 10 men after 38 minutes.
The Gunners were on the back foot for most of the match, and not even the red card stopped the hosts, Chelsea, from going ahead. Trevoh Chalobah put them ahead in the 46th minute, almost immediately after the second half started. Arsenal rallied to score their equalizer a few minutes later. After that, it was a balanced game where neither side created much, to Chelsea’s delight.
Maresca watched as his team showed character against the league leaders and, at the end of the match, praised them for their performance even though the outcome was not exactly what he had hoped for.
Maresca said, “I think sometimes you have to be happy even with one point. For sure, the target was to win the game.
“Again, 11 vs 11, I think we were better than them. We managed the game, controlled the game, and didn’t concede chances. The red card changed the dynamic, but the way the players dealt with that was fantastic.
“For sure the effort of the players [pleased me]. Arsenal is top of the Premier League, top of the Champions League, the best defense in the Premier League, and the best defense in the Champions League.
“When it was 11 vs 11, we were better than them. Ten men changed the dynamic, but the effort from the players was outstanding.”
Two of the standout performers for the Blues were captain Reece James and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. The Spaniard saved a few shots on target that could have swayed the game in the visitors’ favor, while James, who is now a midfielder thanks to Maresca’s tactics, produced another masterclass playing out of his natural right-back position.
Speaking about both men and their commanding performances that helped stabilize the team, Maresca said, “Robert was very good. When you are with ten players against Arsenal, for sure if you want to take a point or win the game, you need some special performances, like Robert’s and Reece’s.
“We are very happy with Robert’s performance. Reece’s performances have been top-notch. Now we have a game on Wednesday, but you know we have to manage him and control his situation. But he was very good tonight.”
