“We didn’t deserve to lose” - Enzo Maresca laments Chelsea defeat to Aston Villa

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca believes his team didn't deserve to lose to Aston Villa in their Premier League clash on Saturday, February 22. The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat at Villa Park, despite scoring first and starting the match brightly.

After the game, Maresca admitted that the Blues had played well, but couldn't find the all-important clinical touch to seal the win. He told the press (via talkSPORT):

"This is probably for me personally the toughest defeat of the season. The reaction from Brighton was brilliant, the performance was really good but the result was not enough. You need to be clinical. The difference is inside of the box."

Maresca added (via Fabrizio Romano on X):

“It's a tough one, we didn't deserve to lose."

Enzo Fernandez met a brilliant cross from Pedro Neto at point-blank range, and the midfielder tapped in to open the scoring in the ninth minute. The Blues held onto their lead for the first half and looked fairly comfortable.

However, things turned around in the second half, as the hosts fought for a comeback with winter signings Marco Asensio and Marcus Rashford. They combined for the first goal, with the Manchester United loanee laying the ball onto the Paris Saint-Germain loanee to convert on the cusp of the hour (57').

They combined again, late in the game, as Rashford sent in a cross to Asensio, who managed to squeeze his shot under goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen. It was a late effort (89'), and Aston Villa held on successfully as Chelsea recorded their third loss in five league games.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca speaks about Filip Jorgensen's error leading to goal

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has spoken about Filip Joregensen after the goalkeeper failed to keep out Asensio's second goal. Jorgensen was brought into the starting lineup after Robert Sanchez struggled with consistent errors in goal.

These errors have not been resolved, and Maresca was asked if the goalkeeping situation was a cause for concern. He said (via Metro):

"I am always concerned, even when we were winning games, I was concerned. Now for sure. The problem with that with goalkeepers, it is a delicate position and when they make a mistake, everyone can see."

"Unfortunately today, our goalkeeper [Filip Jorgensen] made a mistake. This is a moment we need to support each other and try to stay strong."

Chelsea will face Southampton in their next Premier League game on Tuesday (February 25).

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