Chelsea's English midfielder #20 Cole Palmer (L) has his shot deflected by West Ham United's English defender #29 Aaron Wan-Bissaka (R) into the West Ham net making it 2-1 during the English Premier League football match between Chelsea and West Ham United at Stamford Bridge in London on February 3, 2025. (Photo by Adrian Dennis / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. NO USE WITH UNAUTHORIZED AUDIO, VIDEO, DATA, FIXTURE LISTS, CLUB/LEAGUE LOGOS OR 'LIVE' SERVICES. ONLINE IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES. AN ADDITIONAL 40 IMAGES MAY BE USED IN EXTRA TIME. NO VIDEO EMULATION. SOCIAL MEDIA IN-MATCH USE LIMITED TO 120 IMAGES. AN ADDITIONAL 40 IMAGES MAY BE USED IN EXTRA TIME. NO USE IN BETTING PUBLICATIONS, GAMES OR SINGLE CLUB/LEAGUE/PLAYER PUBLICATIONS. /
Desk news:
Enzo Maresca hailed Chelsea’s mental strength as they came from behind to beat West Ham 2-1 and move into fourth place in the Premier League on Monday.
Maresca’s side trailed to Jarrod Bowen’s strike late in the first half at Stamford Bridge, sparking jeers from frustrated fans after a lethargic start.
But Maresca’s decision to send on Pedro Neto in the second half proved decisive as the Portugal forward bagged Chelsea’s equaliser.
As he has been so often over the last two seasons, Cole Palmer was the catalyst for the Blues’ 74th-minute winner when his cross deflected in off West Ham defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
After a disappointing run of one win in seven league games, Maresca was relieved to see Chelsea get back on track in spirited fashion.
‘It is huge. Today was a tough game, especially mentally. When West Ham come here and sit back with 10 players behind the ball, it’s not easy. You have to be mentally strong and you need to be patient,’ he said.
‘We had more than 10 shots in the first half. We had clear chances in the first half but unfortunately, we missed the target.
‘With some changes the game changed. Overall we completely deserved to win.’
Maresca has been concerned that his players were distracted by speculation over potential transfers in and out of Stamford Bridge leading up to Monday’s deadline day.
Relieved that the window would be closed after 2300 GMT, the Italian can focus on leading Chelsea’s fight to qualify for next season’s Champions League via a top-four finish.
‘It was a good weekend for us in terms of results and we knew today was even better,’ he said.
