Chelsea secured a 2-0 win over Everton at Stamford Bridge, with goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto lifting the club back into the Premier League top four and ending a run of four matches without a win. Despite the positive result, manager Enzo Maresca used his post-match press conference to deliver an unexpected message about the previous two days.
"The way the players want to learn has been fantastic and this is the reason why I praise them - because with so many problems, they are doing very well after a complicated week," Maresca said, offering praise for his squad's response.
"Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst because many people didn't support us."
Pressed further, the former Leicester City boss added: "Worst 48 hours since I joined the club because people didn't support me and the team."
When asked whether he was referring to people inside the club, he replied: "In general. In general," and, when the question turned to fans or the media, he clarified: "I love the fans and we are very happy with the fans."
The comments came after a short period that included travel back from Italy following a European fixture, a Cobham training session, a pre-match news conference in which Maresca appeared relaxed, and the eventual win over an in-form Everton side. The victory followed a Champions League defeat at Atalanta and came amid a difficult stretch for the team.
Maresca also highlighted the disruption Chelsea have faced through injuries and suspensions, and urged outsiders to acknowledge the players' efforts. On that point he said:
"I really praise the players and the squad because we played 16 Premier League games, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 of them without Cole Palmer, almost all of them without Liam Delap,"
"And this squad, no matter who is playing, they are doing fantastic. Today was five games in 12 days so for sure when you see Cole Palmer there, we said many times that he's our best player but we play almost all season without our best player.
We play five games in the Premier League without Moises Caicedo. This is the reason why I'm so happy for the players and it's something that I would like people outside to appreciate because the effort from the players is fantastic."
It remains uncertain who Maresca was specifically addressing with his "worst 48 hours" comment. There was no clear public incident in that time that explained his description, and it is not obvious whether media reports, social media or internal matters at the club prompted his remarks.
Chelsea characterised the manager's lines as an emotional response following an emotional win. Maresca is due to face the media again on Monday before the club's Carabao Cup quarter-final at Cardiff.
The win consolidates Chelsea's place in the top four and precedes a busy week that includes the cup tie at Cardiff and a Premier League trip to Newcastle. Maresca's side will aim to build on the result amid ongoing selection challenges.