Enzo Maresca says the 3-0 defeat to Brighton was Chelsea’s “worst performance” under him, as Jamie Carragher questioned how long Cole Palmer will wait around for the team to improve.
Chelsea failed to register a shot on target in a Premier League game for the first time since September 2021 as Kaoru Mitoma’s magical opener and a Yankuba Minteh double saw Brighton beat them for the second time in seven days.
Injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu have left Maresca without a striker, but their problems were not limited to the attack as Brighton steamrollered Chelsea to close the gap on the fourth-placed side to six points.
“Tonight is the worst performance since I arrived, but we are still in the race to finish in the top four, ” Maresca told Sky Sports. “I feel pressure always. Not only now,” he added.
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FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Brighton’s win against Chelsea in the Premier League
Chelsea will lose their top-four status if Man City, Bournemouth or Newcastle win as the competition for Champions League qualification heats up.
If Chelsea fall short in that regard, it would mark three consecutive seasons outside of Europe’s elite competition for the new owners despite spending more than £1bn on signings.
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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said this was the team’s worst performance under him
“If they don’t get Champions League, it will be a disaster,” said Carragher.
“The one thing I took from this game is not just how poor they were but the frustration from Palmer. He won’t wait around for this idea that in a couple of years, we will make the Champions League.”
Palmer, 22, is under contract at Chelsea until 2033, but Carragher says he may not be that patient.
“The idea that this project is going to take two or three years, the problem is that the best players won’t wait for that,” added Carragher.
“Cole Palmer is one of the best players in the Premier League. You could start to feel the frustration starting to build. He’s good enough to be competing for the biggest honours in the Premier League and Champions League.
“He’s scored in a Euro final! That is something that Chelsea need to keep in the back of their mind.
“The idea that it could be five or 10 years – it’s nonsense. Nottingham Forest are third and Chelsea have spent over £1billion.”
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Was Levi Colwill ‘bullied’ by Brighton? Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher analyse Chelsea’s poor performance
Chelsea began Maresca’s debut season in fine form, but results have dropped off over the last two months with just two wins in their last nine league games.
They are also out of both domestic cup competitions, but remain in the UEFA Conference League last 16.
“Chelsea have got to get back to winning games as soon as possible or this season can really unravel for them,” added Carragher. The European competition that they are in is almost not a competition that Chelsea should be in.
“Even if they win that, I don’t think there will be much credit for them.
“Of course it’s an improvement from last season at this stage but you’ve got to remember that team last season under [Mauricio] Pochettino, with 14 games to go, only lost one of them. I’m not looking at a team here that is not going to lose one of their next 13.
“They have a lot on to actually improve on what happened last season. This team is not good enough.
“Brighton absolutely battered them in all departments. I’m just watching these Chelsea players go over to the supporters, there are very few of them and they are a very angry bunch, and rightly so.”
