Paul Merson and Enzo Maresca disagree over Chelsea ‘nerves’ after Fulham stun Blues
Chelsea were beaten 2-1 by Fulham at Stamford Bridge after a late winner from Rodrigo Muniz
Former Arsenal striker Paul Merson felt the pressure of being in the Premier League title race got the better of Chelsea as they were beaten 2-1 by Fulham at Stamford Bridge on Boxing Day.
Cole Palmer gave the home side the lead after 16 minutes but Fulham kept themselves in the game and got a deserved equaliser when Harry Wilson forced the ball in at the back post. Then, with just minutes left in stoppage time Rodrigo Muniz kept his cool to slot past Robert Sanchez in front of the Fulham fans who had made their short journey across West London. A victory would have put the Blues within one point of leaders Liverpool ahead of their clash with Leicester City at Anfield but Enzo Maresca’s side failed to make the most of kicking off earlier in the day.
The Blues have been one of the surprise packages of the season so far, with much of the expectations around the club anticipating a battle for the Champions League places. However, the Stamford Bridge outfit are one of Liverpool’s closest challengers as the season edges towards the halfway point.
Merson on Chelsea pressure
"Chelsea just sat back and let Fulham dictate the game after going a goal up. Fulham looked the most dangerous team. Chelsea kept sitting back. Since they have gone second in the league, I don’t know if the nerves have hit them and they’ve got a little bit tight, because against Everton they weren’t great either,” Merson told Sky Sports Soccer Special after the game.
"It ups the expectation, 100 per cent. Now all of a sudden we’re talking about Chelsea getting top four, whereas before it was, 'Chelsea are in the title race.' It’s all be built up and I just thought today they looked nervous. They’ve got too many good players to sit back like that. For me, they are not really a major counter-attacking team. You’ve got to go and close games down. I thought Fulham thoroughly deserved it in the end."
Maresca has been keen to emphasise that he does not believe his side are ready to be title challengers and refuted the idea that the pressure got the better of them against Fulham. He said: "I didn't feel or see the players playing with pressure. We don't prepare the game thinking about [table position]. I don't think [the results against Everton and Fulham] have been about pressure."
Silva delighted by reaction
Fulham boss Marco Silva was seen celebrating both of his side’s goals with rigorous enthusiasm as they won for the first time in 45 years at Stamford Bridge. He reflected afterwards: “In the second half the reaction was top from ourselves. Overall it was a tough game that we started not at our best level. But I really believed we deserved the three points against a tough side. We went toe to toe with them and to win here for the first time in so many years, we wanted to give this happiness for our fans on Boxing Day.”
The result moves Fulham level on points with Manchester City and Aston Villa. They sit behind Pep Guardiola’s side on goal difference but are above Villa. They are a point behind Bournemouth in sixth, with that position enough for a Europa Conference League spot last season.