Enzo Maresca says Chelsea are ahead of expectations – but does not expect their Premier League rivals to slip up in the title race “like Marc Cucurella”.
The Blues came back from a two-goal deficit to beat Tottenham 4-3 on Sunday, with both of Spurs’ early finishes coming after Cucurella lost his footing.
Maresca became Chelsea boss in the summer after his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino led the Londoners to a sixth-placed finish.
Now they are second, just four points off leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand after Saturday’s trip to Everton was postponed due to Storm Darragh.
“We are ahead of my expectation,” said Maresca after the impressive comeback win.
“In terms of the way we play on the ball, off the ball and in terms of the results.”
The Italian, though, does not feel Chelsea are “ready” to challenge for the title yet.
“Arsenal, [Manchester] City and Liverpool probably don’t slide – like Cucurella did,” he added in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the misfortune of his Spanish left-back , who changed his boots after Tottenham’s second goal.
“To be serious, we are not ready. We are far from these teams, but we focus on day-by-day and trying to improve the team.
“The plan or the idea is to not let the players slow down. They cannot drop because they know another player is waiting to come in.”
‘He’s done more than Zola already in 18 months’
While Cole Palmer had little say in the superb Jadon Sancho finish that sparked Chelsea’s comeback at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the England international was integral to the next three, as he inspired the Blues to their derby triumph.
The 22-year-old coolly scored a penalty to draw the Blues level, before his mazy run and shot created Enzo Fernandez’s volley to make it 3-2.
A cheeky ‘Panenka’ penalty for his second goal capped a fine display by Palmer, prompting former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher to compare him with Chelsea’s footballing legends.
“People fear [him] when he has the ball,” Carragher told Sky Sports. “When you look at Chelsea over the years, you look at flair players and you look at Gianfranco Zola and Eden Hazard. He has probably done more than Zola already in his 18 months at the club.
“He is going to go down as one of the biggest players for Chelsea if he keeps doing what he is doing. He is a very special player, and that’s not just in the Premier League, it is in Europe and world football as well.”
Palmer has taken just 48 Premier League matches to reach 50 goal involvements (33 goals, 17 assists).
He is the fourth quickest to reach that total, with Manchester City’s Erling Haaland (39), former Newcastle striker Andy Cole (43) and Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah (46) reaching it in less matches for a club in the competition.
Former Liverpool and Spurs midfielder Jamie Redknapp added: “Palmer’s move to Chelsea has been life changing.
“The things he does on the ball are frightening. He is a throwback of a player, like he is playing with his mates. It is effortless for him.”