Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca was satisfied with his Blues defeating Burnley 2-0 at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon to take all three points on a “difficult” away day.
Pedro Neto put the Blues ahead with a diving header in the 37th minute, before Enzo Fernandes added another with two minutes remaining to give Enzo Maresca’s side three points.
Chelsea move into second place with the win, with the Blues now three points behind Premier League leaders Arsenal, who host arch-rivals Tottenham on Sunday.
Maresca’s side were the favored side for much of the game, leaving Burnley with very few chances and Chelsea’s head coach was delighted to extend their Premier League winning streak to three.
Maresca told TNT Sports: “I didn’t like a win like this because it was tough. It’s always a tough game against Burnley away at 12:30 after the international break. But I’m very happy with the way we fought.”
“It’s very difficult to come here and not concede a goal. It’s normal to concede something, but overall they only had one real chance. They didn’t have a big chance during the game, but we had a lot of chances during the game.
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“I’m ready. Andrei (Santos) is doing very well. It’s a difficult game today. He hasn’t played much. It’s not easy when you play less.”
On Reece James being sent off at half-time, Maresca added: “I had 45 minutes scheduled for Reece James.
“It was very important to maintain the momentum we had before the international break. We will now go into Tuesday with renewed energy.”
Former Swansea City and Everton defender Ashley Williams insists Chelsea are not yet ready to properly challenge for the Premier League under Maresca.
Speaking on the BBC’s Final Score, Williams said: “I don’t think Chelsea are ready for a full season (in the title race) yet. Maybe I’ll be proven wrong? But if you look at Arsenal’s track record over the last few years and the team they have now, I think they have more depth and more experience as a manager than Chelsea.”
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Chelsea winger Pedro Neto was relieved by the win over Burnley ahead of two tough games against Spanish giants Barcelona and Arsenal in the next two games.
Neto told TNT Sports:
“It’s always difficult to win 1-0 away at this difficult ground.
“We stuck with it and kept a clean sheet so I’m really happy with the win.”
On the win ahead of the match between Barça and Arsenal: “It’s always good to come back after a little bit of an international break, but now we’re going to spend more time together.
“It was really good and I’m looking forward to the game because it’s the type of game we like to play.
“This time the battle is different. It was difficult to come here to play on a ground like this. But I’m looking forward to the next game.”
