Maresca: Chelsea Players Must Recover from Fulham Loss

Enzo Maresca, Chelsea’s manager, has emphasized the need for his team to bounce back from their Christmas round loss to Fulham, which ended their nine-game unbeaten streak in the Premier League, and aim for a win against Ipswich Town on Monday.

Maresca accepted Chelsea’s third loss of the season calmly, saying on Friday, “Every match in this league feels challenging.”

He told reporters, “We never expected to win every match… It’s all about how we react. We have to move forward regardless of the result.”

Newly promoted Ipswich, who will face Arsenal later on Friday, sit 19th in the table, just above the relegation zone. Despite not securing any home wins, Ipswich have shown promising signs since November, with victories against Tottenham Hotspur and Wolverhampton Wanderers, as well as a home draw against Manchester United.

Maresca praised Ipswich’s performances under manager Kieran McKenna, who led the team to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League.

“We have bad feelings about the last game,” Maresca said. “We hope to return with three points.” Chelsea’s 2-1 loss to Fulham on Thursday marked their first home defeat to their London rivals since 1979.