Enzo Maresca conceded that Chelsea were second best “in all aspects” and the head coach offered no excuses after a disappointing defeat at Leeds as his side’s hopes of a Premier League title challenge took a significant hit.
Maresca’s side are now down to fourth place and nine points adrift of the leaders, Arsenal, after stumbling in West Yorkshire, with Leeds worthy 3-1 winners on a night when Daniel Farke’s side moved out of the relegation zone.
The Italian said that after a hectic week, with impressive performances against Barcelona and Arsenal, he was left with little choice but to rotate his side, with Wesley Fofana and Reece James missing out at Elland Road. That, he said, led to his side failing to reach the expected level.
“I think they were better than us in all the aspects,” Maresca said. “They deserved to win the game. There’s nothing we can take from the game. The only thing we can do is try to understand the mistakes we’ve made and try to reset. In 48 hours we’ve another game.” Chelsea visit Bournemouth on Saturday.
He added: “When you play the way we have in the last two games against Barcelona and Arsenal, you expect a better performance. But for many reasons it’s not going to be possible. We changed players and when you change players the level drops because the reality is they’re important players for us.”
The result alleviated some of the pressure on Farke, after speculation his position was under threat. However, the Leeds manager said he had not given any consideration to that kind of talk before or after the vital win. He said: “I didn’t have the feeling we weren’t united. Elland Road was back at its best and I didn’t see any negative comments or doubts. We’re such a passionate club and it’s quite known, the outside noise. But I never felt we weren’t united.
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“It’s been a long time coming. To bring everything together against one of the best sides in the world, it was really deserved. We were the better side. It’s a great night for everyone.”
