Enzo Maresca’s Identity Showed In Chelsea’s Dramatic Win Over Champions Liverpool
Chelsea stunned Liverpool at Stamford Bridge with just two minutes of extra time to claim their third win of the season.
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca had to come up with a way to topple Premier League Champions at Stamford Bridge despite an injury crisis that forced Chelsea to finish the game with a backline of full-backs, and he did it spectacularly with an identity he has been trying to create since he joined the West London side in 2024.
The Blues went into the game after suffering back-to-back Premier League defeats.
They were also without Cole Palmer, Liam Delap, and several defensive and midfield options due to injury or suspension. Still, Chelsea started the game well, and the midfield pairing of Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo helped Chelsea play out from the back with the help of the returning Benoit Badiashile.
Moises Caicedo gave Chelsea the lead with a fantastic strike from outside the box in the first half.
The Blues could have won a penalty and scored another goal in the first half, all from efforts involving new signing Alejandro Garanacho, but the referee denied the penalty calls, and his effort on goal scraped the right post.
Liverpool responded in the second half by creating good chances. Eventually, Cody Gakpo tapped home the equalizer for Liverpool after Alexander Isak controlled a cross inside the box and laid it into his path.
However, after conceding the equalizer, Chelsea’s personality really started to show. Despite Liverpool bringing in top attacking stars like Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitiké, Chelsea took control of the match and kept pushing for a win until they scored.
Enzo Maresca Ball Helps Chelsea Beat Liverpool
The winning goal from Estevao showed exactly the identity that Chelsea has been trying to build under Enzo Maresca for the past year.
The Blues moved the ball from the back to the front without a Liverpool player touching the ball until Estevao Willian tapped home the winner. The front-foot positional attacking football that Chelsea fans know Enzo Maresca for was brought to the fore, and it was beautiful to watch.
There have been a few murmurs about Maresca being under pressure due to recent results, but the win over the weekend will renew the fans’ faith in the Italian manager, who has already guided Chelsea to two major trophies.
