Maresca praises Chelsea’s performance despite draw at Everton

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed greater satisfaction with his team’s performance in Sunday’s 0-0 draw against Everton than he did with their 2-1 victory over Brentford the previous week.

Maresca commended his squad’s resilience in a hard-fought contest at Goodison Park, despite missing the chance to take the top spot in the Premier League.

Both sides created opportunities in challenging, windy conditions. Everton and Chelsea’s goalkeepers made vital saves, while Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson came close, hitting the post in the first half when he arguably should have scored.

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“That was a real game,” said Maresca. “I am very happy because the performance of the boys was fantastic. Sometimes you have to play a different game, and we are learning to play a different game. They (Everton) are one of the best teams in Europe in terms of clean sheets.

“I said to the players I was more happy than (last week’s) game at Brentford. We tried everything. For sure, you can always do something better, but we are very happy because this is a tough stadium – not only for us but also in the Premier League.”

Everton manager Sean Dyche, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the season, continues to showcase his credentials to the club’s new owners, the Friedkin Group.

Dyche’s team now boasts five clean sheets in their last six matches but remains just four points above the relegation zone, with a game in hand.

“I said before the game, Enzo Maresca has done a fine job, and they have certainly shown the power they have got,” Dyche said. “We could have nicked it. It was two teams going at it in the right way. You have to be willing to put a shift in, and I think that was on show today.

“Chances were minimal. They had a couple, and we had a couple towards the end. We take a point. I’ve never not been proud of these players. We’ve come through a storm. I respect them.”