Absolute Chelsea
·22 December 2024
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Yahoo sportsAbsolute Chelsea
·22 December 2024
Enzo Maresca was satisfied with Chelsea's point away to Everton after being held to a goalless draw at Goodison Park.
Chelsea were unable to extend their winning streak in the Premier League having drawn a blank on a wet and windy afternoon on Merseyside.
They had their chances to take the lead against Sean Dyche's side, but Maresca's Blues also relied on Robert Sanchez and Tosin Adarabioyo to keep a clean sheet and ensure they claimed at least a point.
"That was a real game," reflected Maresca to the BBC. "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 are one of the best teams in Europe in terms of clean sheets."
Chelsea will be second on Christmas Day, a change in fortunes compared to last season. It's been helped by the Blues overcoming poor records against certain sides, including beating Brentford last weekend to end a three-year wait for a win over the Bees.
Maresca revealed after the Everton draw the reason why he told his players that he was in fact more pleased with the point at Goodison over the victory at Stamford Bridge last weekend against Brentford.
"I said to the players I was more happy than (last week's) game at Brentford," the Chelsea head coach added.
Maresca with Moises Caicedo at full-time after drawing to Everton. / IMAGO / News Images
"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."
Chelsea will look to get back to winning ways on Boxing Day when they host Fulham at Stamford Bridge.
It is most certainly a well-earned point against Everton, who have now racked up seven clean sheets - the most in the Premier League this season - with Jordan Pickford in goal.
Maresca concluded: "We knew already it was a tough game in terms of creating chances. If you see them in the last game against Arsenal, but in general, you always struggle to create chances against them.
"But overall, in this type of game, knowing you are not going to create too many chances, you have to be clinical."