Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca believes his team deserved to win against Crystal Palace, despite settling for a point in their Premier League opener.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is confident that his team will continue to improve over the coming weeks, despite failing to capitalize on their chances against Crystal Palace. 

The Blues dominated possession, enjoying 71% of the ball, and created several scoring opportunities, but ultimately had to settle for a point.

“We always try to win the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but overall, we deserved it,” Maresca said. “We created enough chances in the first half and the second half. Apart from the free-kick, we didn’t concede any clear-cut chances.”

Maresca praised his team’s performance, highlighting their ability to create scoring opportunities. Marc Cucurella had a header cleared off the line early on, and in the second half, both Estevao and Andrey Santos could have scored with shots from inside the penalty area. “We know how tough they are, how well-organized they are, and that is why in the last two finals they have beaten Liverpool and Manchester City,” Maresca added.

The Chelsea manager was asked if he felt the team’s shorter pre-season had an impact on their performance against Palace. “I don’t think so, because until the end, we competed and we tried to win the game,” he replied. “We had some chances at the end with Estevao and Andrey Santos, so that showed that we competed overall quite well.”

Maresca emphasized that Chelsea are still in the process of building momentum, having played only two games last weekend. “For sure, they played seven or eight games, and we played two games last weekend where we shared the minutes, so for sure this was the first real game today. But for sure, slowly, slowly, we are going to be better.”