Chelsea have just drawn 0-0 with Crystal Palace at home, a little bit of a disappointing start to the season after so much promise in the friendly games last week.
Despite not getting the result they wanted, there were bright moments – none brighter than the competitive debut of Estevao Willian.
Chelsea fans and Enzo Maresca react to Estevao Willian debut
The Chelsea fans were so excited to see him enter the pitch in the second half they they gave him a rousing round of applause – and he didn’t let them down.
He was into the action right away, running at defenders and injecting some directness and belief into his team’s attack. Speaking in his press conference after the game, Enzo Maresca explained his thoughts on how the Brazilian had played.
“He was very good. He showed personality, he’s already shown that in the training sessions. For sure, no doubt that slowly, slowly he will be a very important player for this club,” the Chelsea boss said.
“The personality has been top. You can see that he is from Brazil, they are different and he is going to be a fantastic player for the club.”
Chelsea “deserved to win” claims manager
Speaking more generally about Chelsea’s attacking performance, Maresca insisted that his side had perhaps been more unlucky than some are giving them credit for:
“We always try to win the game. Unfortunately, we didn’t win, but I think overall we deserve [to win], we create enough chances between the first-half and second-half. Apart from the free-kick where the goal was disallowed, I don’t think we concede chances.”
“But at the same time, we know how tough they are, how well organised they are. And this is the reason why they beat Liverpool and won the last two finals.”
