Chelsea’s final home game of the season is fast approaching, when we will host Manchester United at the Bridge in a crucial match on Friday evening.

Our run of five consecutive victories in all competitions was brought to an end by a 2-0 defeat away at Newcastle United on Sunday, but with just two Premier League fixtures remaining, the Blues were soon back at work aiming to respond immediately.

The loss to Newcastle was a setback, but we are still well placed to achieve our aim of a top-five finish and UEFA Champions League qualification, even if Maresca knows it will be difficult, as he reflects on our previous game.

‘The red card affected the game, no doubt, but we had three big chances in the second half, which is not easy with 10 men,’ said our head coach.

‘We are not happy with the defeat but the energy, the spirit and the togetherness of the team in the second half was fantastic. It’s something I feel proud of. In the second half we adjusted some things and it went quite well. We even looked like we had more players than them.

‘We need to keep the same energy, the same effort and focus on Friday’s game. Now my feeling is we need to win both games.’

Chelsea are currently in fifth position, level on points with Aston Villa in sixth and a solitary point above Nottingham Forest in seventh, while we are just two points below fourth-place Manchester City and three off Newcastle United in third.

The Blues welcome 16th-place Manchester United on Friday night before our domestic campaign finishes with a trip to fellow Champions League hopefuls Nottingham Forest on Sunday 25 May.

Friday night's clash with the Red Devils will be shown live on Sky Sports at 8.15pm in the UK.

We will also be keeping you up to date with minute-by-minute coverage of all the build-up, action and reaction throughout matchday - as well as live audio commentary - in our Chelsea vs Manchester United Match Centre.