Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca attributed his side’s 3-0 Premier League defeat on Friday night to the absence of nine injured players during his post-match interview with the Chelsea media team.
The Blues were beaten by Brighton at the Amex Stadium, with Gambian Yankuba Minteh scoring twice and Kaoru Mitoma adding a first-half goal. Despite dominating possession with 70% and completing 717 passes, Chelsea failed to register a single shot on target in the entire 90 minutes.
Assessing the game, Maresca admitted that the absence of nine key players contributed to the loss:
“There are many reasons why. The injuries to our nines are part of that, but we have 13 games to go, and we need to finish in the best way.”
He also acknowledged that the defeat at the Amex Stadium was Chelsea’s worst performance since his arrival at Stamford Bridge:
“Probably since I arrived, this is the worst performance, especially given the moment we are in. We are fourth in the league, and winning tonight could have put us just one point behind third place while widening the gap to the rest.”
“This is not the kind of performance you want to deliver. We are very upset and, most importantly, very sorry for the fans who traveled and all our supporters. With 14 games to go—now 13—we need to show more desire.”
Despite the defeat, Chelsea remains in fourth place but could drop to seventh if Manchester City, Newcastle United, and AFC Bournemouth all win their games this weekend.
