Enzo Maresca hailed Chelsea’s effort after a hard‑fought 1‑1 draw with Arsenal, noting they were “much better 11 v 11” but had to cope with a red card. 

Enzo Maresca told the media “I think we showed we are heading in the right direction.” He added the performance was “fantastic,” insisting Chelsea were a better side than Arsenal when both were at full strength.

“The performance has been fantastic. We were a much better team than them 11 v 11, but with 10 players it is difficult, yet we dealt with it outstandingly,” Maresca said.

Addressing the dismissal, he noted the inconsistency of refereeing decisions: “I struggle to understand the different ways to judge. What about Bentancur to Reece? Why is one a red card and one isn’t? It’s a red card tonight, it’s clear.”

About midfielder Moises Caicedo, Maresca praised his relentless desire: “Moises is always the same way. Top player for us. The desire from him is to try and win the game.” He kept the focus on the clash’s intensity: “It’s football. It’s between Chelsea and Arsenal.”

Reece James also spoke to the media, calling the match “difficult.” He said, “We started well, we started sharp. It got more difficult when we went down to 10. If you look at the game collectively, we coped well with 10 against 11.”

James added on his role, “I try to help the team as best as I can. We had the ball a lot more, shuffling it side to side, collecting second balls. I thought as a team it was a really good collective effort.” He noted the need for consistency: “It comes with playing consistently at a high level week in, week out.”

Maresca concluded with optimism for the future, “We are better than last season. We are closer. We’ll see where we are in February and March and then we’ll assess our target.” Chelsea now look ahead to the next fixtures with renewed confidence.