Blues Boss Urges Improvement After Brighton Comeback Ends Cup Run
Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca lamented his side’s inability to hold onto an early lead as they crashed out of the FA Cup with a 2-1 defeat to Brighton at the Amex Stadium. The Italian coach described the loss as a “big shame” but urged his players to learn how to grind out narrow victories like “big clubs” do.
The Blues were handed a dream start in the fifth minute when Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen fumbled Cole Palmer’s tame effort into his own net. However, Chelsea failed to capitalize on the gift, allowing Brighton to turn the game around with goals from Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma.
Maresca, who has overseen just one 1-0 win since taking charge last summer, emphasized the importance of mastering the art of tight victories. “I said to the players already weeks ago, and I said it again tonight, we need to learn how to win sometimes 1-0,” he stated. “Big clubs, they do that.”
Reflecting on the elimination, Maresca admitted the disappointment but tried to find a silver lining. “For sure, it’s a big shame for us,” he said. “But if there is something positive, it’s that now we can be focused on the Premier League and the Europa Conference League. Especially in the Premier League, hopefully, we can continue our journey there; that has been very, very good until now, and hopefully, we can finish well.”
Chelsea’s task was made harder by the absence of key strikers Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu, both injured in Monday’s league win over West Ham. Maresca acknowledged Jackson’s importance, saying, “Sometimes you need to play games without players to realize how important they are. We said many times about Nico, (he’s) important on the ball and off the ball.”
Despite the setbacks, Maresca felt his team had chances to salvage the game. “We started very well. In the first half, probably the only shot on goal they had was the goal. We controlled the game, created some chances, and the second half was more or less the same. After the second goal, we had a few chances to draw, and we missed,” he added.
For Brighton, the victory was a much-needed response after their humiliating 7-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last weekend. Head coach Fabian Hurzeler praised his team’s resilience, saying, “I learnt a sentence: just what the doctor ordered. In general, it was a great reaction. We bounced back after a tough week. The guys showed a lot of character, especially after the tough start today. It’s not easy to come back like this and play with this intensity and courage. I think it was well deserved.”
Hurzeler also backed Verbruggen to recover quickly from his early mistake. “I won’t talk too much about this mistake because mistakes happen,” he said. “If the goalkeeper makes a mistake, then normally it’s a goal. But he’s a great lad, he’s shown some impressive performances for us. He is very stable, he will be stable in his mind, and he will bounce back.”
The two sides will meet again in the Premier League on Friday evening, giving Chelsea a chance to avenge their cup exit. For Maresca, the focus now shifts to maintaining their strong league form and making a deep run in the Europa Conference League. However, the defeat to Brighton serves as a stark reminder that Chelsea must learn to close out games if they are to achieve their ambitions this season.
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