Enzo Maresca believes Chelsea performed exceptionally well with ten men to secure a draw, and were the better team with a full complement on the field.
According to a report from the Independent, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca praised his side’s performance following a 1–1 draw with Arsenal — despite being reduced to ten men at Stamford Bridge.
Maresca explained that, for much of the match before the red card, Chelsea had outplayed their opponents. “I think sometimes you have to be happy even with one point,” he said.
“For sure, the target was to win the game. Again, 11 vs 11, I think we were better than them. We managed the game, we controlled the game, we created chances and we didn’t concede anything.”
The game changed dramatically when Moisés Caicedo was dismissed in the 38th minute following a VAR review, leaving Chelsea a man down for the majority of the encounter.
Still, Chelsea responded resiliently, and Trevoh Chalobah gave them the lead early in the second half from a corner before Arsenal equalised through Mikel Merino.
Maresca admitted that playing with ten men made things harder, but he lauded his players for coping “outstandingly” with the challenge. “The red card changed a little bit the dynamic, but even with that, I think the way the players dealt with that was outstanding,” he commented.
He singled out goalkeeper Robert Sánchez and captain Reece James for their crucial contributions, emphasising that such performances were vital “when you are with ten players against Arsenal.”
Despite the draw, Maresca remained cautiously optimistic about Chelsea’s trajectory. “I think we are better than last season. We are closer,” he said, adding that he will assess the club’s ambitions in February or March.