As he reflected on Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Qarabag, Enzo Maresca pinpointed the key factor in determining the final result.
The Blues went ahead in Baku through Estevao Willian, but we found ourselves behind at the break after two quickfire goals from the hosts.
The introduction of three subs at half-time helped Chelsea gain control, and we levelled when one of those fresh faces, Alejandro Garnacho, fired home. The winger went as close as anyone to sealing victory, but in the end we return to London with a hard-fought point. Maresca offered his assessment afterwards.
‘The big difference was inside the box,’ the head coach stated.
‘In our box, we conceded two goals that we can avoid. In their box, for the amount of times we arrived there, we need to be a bit more clinical.
‘We started in the right way, we scored the goal then we conceded two silly goals. Qarabag pressed well, but we also had many chances in the way we tried to build. There are things we could do better, but overall we also did some good things.
‘We take the point, we go home and now it’s important to try to recover the energy to go again on Saturday.’
One disappointment on the night was the early withdrawal of Romeo Lavia through injury. Maresca said he believed it was a problem with the Belgian’s quad.
‘It’s a great shame, especially for him. He’s not able to be fit for a long period. It’s too early to understand what kind of injury, but hopefully it’s not a big injury.’