Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca was pleased his side went back to winning ways with a 3-1 win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday after his players restored the lead following a late second-half equaliser.
Second half goals by Marc Cucurella and Noni Madueke kept Chelsea in touch after Tosin Adarabioyo’s opener for the visitors was cancelled out by Matt Doherty’s own.
After two last-two games – one each with three-goal deficits blown – Maresca hailed his side’s reaction to secure the home win that boosted them to fourth.
“Still up until 40 minutes we did pretty well, but the last five minutes we were awful. They got one and we fell a bit of confidence, that’s what happens from time to time this season,” Maresca told BBC.
“We have to get better at coping with these things. Secondly in the second half we got going and scored the goals. I think overall we should have won the game.
“I think we responded in the second half. After five games of zero success that’s not something that you do. So you just had to win the game”.
Chelsea, second until late last month, have 40 points, four fewer than third-placed Nottingham Forest and second-placed Arsenal.
When quizzed on defence, the Italian boss denied that the 27 Premier League goals they have conceded had stopped his side pushing higher up the table.
“If I am not wrong there are only four or five teams in the league that have conceded less than us. So why (demand) a defence problem? Maresca said.
“I find offensive and defensive to be in the same boat pretty well. And then you can give up a goal in any way”.
Maresca also defended goalkeeper Robert Sanchez who conceded a third goal for Wolves after losing a corner that set up Doherty.
Is the job we do if you screw up,’ he said. “Robert has rescued us so many times, it happens, no big deal.