Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has revealed he was “afraid” that Reece James and Romeo Lavia would get injured against Liverpool on Sunday.
Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones was the star of the show as the Reds beat Chelsea 2-1 to stay top of the Premier League and inflict the Blues’ second defeat of the season.
Jones tucked in Liverpool’s second goal six minutes into the second half, moments after Nicolas Jackson’s equaliser, having already made a crucial block to deny Cole Palmer and then won the penalty from which Mohamed Salah opened the scoring.
Jones thought he had won a second penalty before half-time when he collided with Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez. Referee John Brooks pointed to the spot but the decision was overturned after a VAR intervention.
Both Lavia and James were named in the starting XI to face Liverpool by Chelsea boss Maresca but the Italian had to explain why he substituted both players before the hour mark.
Speaking in a post-match press conference, Maresca said: “For James and Romeo, it was 45 minutes to one hour maximum.
“I was a bit afraid to give them more minutes on the pitch. decided to change them after 50, 55 minutes.”
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When asked about the overall performance, Maresca added: “I think the performance was very good. You don’t like to lose games or drop points but if you have to choose the way to do it probably this is the way. I’ve been to this stadium many times and seen Liverpool for a long time.
“It’s not easy and I think overall we controlled the game, and for the most part we dominated. We lost and we are not happy but the performance on the ball and off the ball was very good…
“I’m relaxed. I’m not happy because we lost but I’m relaxed and I’m happy because of the performance of the team.”
When asked if he was concerned about the nature of the two goals Chelsea conceded, Maresca replied: “We conceded two goals. The first is a penalty, which can happen, and the second goal, in the way we have conceded the goal, we had already avoided five or six goals because of the behaviour of the line but sometimes you will concede.
“But coming to a stadium like this and this team and thinking you will not concede chances or momentum is almost impossible because of the environment, the team and for many reasons.
“For most parts of the game, we controlled it very well and we need to be proud of this but at the same time, a bit upset because we don’t like to lose games.”
He concluded: “For sure we can do many, many things better – no doubt – but at the same time, we need to understand that game after game we are getting better.”
