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ENZO MARESCA HAILS ESTEVAO WILLIAN FOR ENERGIZING CHELSEA WIN AGAINST WOLVES

Teenager Estevao Willian inspired Chelsea's 3-0 comeback win over Wolves, lifting a nervous Stamford Bridge. His assist for Joao Pedro sealed the victory, sending the Blues to 2nd in the Premier League.

Enzo Maresca hails Estevao Willian for energizing Chelsea win against Wolves
Estevao Willian sparked the magic - Photo Credit: Getty Images

Estevao Willian "increased the spirit" in a nervous Stamford Bridge before leading Chelsea to a 3-0 victory over Wolves to take second place in the Premier League, according to Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca.

After dominating the bottom team in the league without making any progress, the home team was jeered off at halftime.

Six minutes into the second half, Malo Gusto's headed goal lifted the stadium, and when the Brazilian teenager was sent on, he instantly set up Joao Pedro for a second goal, dramatically changing the atmosphere.

Even though Pedro Neto scored the third goal from Alejandro Garnacho's cross, Estevao once again appeared to be in the spotlight.

"Before this game, I was really anxious," Maresca stated. "These are the most difficult games. Everyone believes it will be simple.

"I can see why many were upset in the first half because we did not score. People adore such type of player, so when Estevao entered the game, the energy level increased.

As he gets used to English football, the 18-year-old has mostly only made substitute appearances in the league.

The boy, who arrived to London from his home Brazil in the summer, had complained about the cold weather, and the manager told him to anticipate things to get worse before they get better, Maresca claimed this week.

His debut in blue has been scorching on the field, and even while he was just warming up, his impact was enough to captivate home fans during a game that they seemed to be losing interest in.

"His talent is evident," Maresca remarked. "We are working to provide him the appropriate minutes and assist him in adapting.

"He needs time to adjust after coming from Brazil, but he will start games for us in the future."

With 21 goals from 11 games, Chelsea is now leading the division in scoring, although it would have been hard to believe that after a slow first half.

Garnacho, who has been impressive since joining from Manchester United, set up two of the goals, which came within 22 minutes of the second half.

"His physical condition was not excellent because he came from a club where he was not training 100%," Maresca added. He is gradually getting better.

He is aware that in order to play with us, he must be proficient both on and off the ball; otherwise, he will not participate. We are quite pleased with him.

In the dugout for what appears to be the final time that Middlesbrough manager Rob Edwards is in talks to take over, Wolves interim manager James Collins looked at the team's strengths despite the fact that they were eight points outside of safety.

"The boys are working hard together," he remarked. They are quite cohesive and do not have any small cliques.

"We need to improve; there is still work to be done. There are still more games to play. Chelsea will not be the defining factor of our season.

WHY WAS COLE PALMER SUBBED? THE REAL REASON BEHIND THE STAMFORD BRIDGE BOOS

Fans booed as Cole Palmer was subbed in Chelsea's draw with Bournemouth. Learn why Maresca was absent and what’s next for the Blues.

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Managing Cole Palmer’s return

After Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth, assistant coach Willy Caballero defended the choice to sub off Cole Palmer, even though fans at Stamford Bridge were angry about Enzo Maresca's move.

Fans booed, yelling, You don't know what you're doing! when Palmer—who'd been one of the team's better players—was taken out in the 63rd minute. The home team was trying to score and break their bad Premier League streak at the time.

Chelsea has only won one of their last seven league games. Caballero said afterward that head coach Enzo Maresca, who wasn't there for the post-game interviews due to illness, is still a role model for everyone at the club.

Still, the pressure is on the coach after yet another result slipped away. Chelsea has now lost 13 points at home from winning positions.

The mood got especially sour when Palmer, who just came back from an injury, was taken off in the second half.

Every fan wants the best players on the field, Caballero said. We do, too. But Cole is coming back from a long injury. So we have to figure out the best substitutions to win the game while also keeping our players healthy. We need them for the entire season.

Caballero said about Maresca's absence, "He hasn't been feeling well for the past two days." He had a fever two days ago. He did the last two practices because he wanted to get the team ready. But after the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in because he wasn't feeling well.

He's handling it well and is very professional. He puts in a lot of hours every day, even when he wasn't feeling well the last two days. He loves to train and coach. He's a role model for me and the rest of the staff.

Bournemouth took the lead after six minutes when David Brooks scored on his second try after Robert Sanchez made a save. Then, Palmer scored a penalty to tie the game for Chelsea.

Next, Enzo Fernandez put the home team ahead, but the Blues couldn't hold on to their lead again. Justin Kluivert tied the score before halftime after Chelsea failed to handle a long throw-in from Antoine Semenyo.

There's been a lot of talk that this would be Semenyo's last game for Bournemouth before he moves to Manchester City soon. Before leaving the field, he seemed to say goodbye to the fans who had traveled to see the game.

Still, head coach Andoni Iraola was sure he'd play against Arsenal on Saturday.

It's not his last game here with us, he said. I can't say for sure, but I think he'll play.

He needs to rest. We've played two tough games in three days. We have Arsenal at home, so we're getting ready for another one, a tough game against the leaders. He's going to be important for us.

BREAKING: ENZO MARESCA SKIPS MEDIA AS CHELSEA CRISIS DEEPENS! GET THE HEALTH UPDATE

Enzo Maresca missed the post-match media due to a fever after Chelsea's 2-2 draw. Willy Caballero provides an urgent update on his health.

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Chelsea's winless run continues as Maresca falls ill

Enzo Maresca skipped media interviews after Chelsea's 2-2 tie with Bournemouth because he was sick.

The Blues coach was supposed to chat after his team snagged a point against Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.

But right before he was about to talk about the game, news dropped that Maresca wasn't feeling good.

So, his assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to handle things in west London.

Caballero shared an update on Maresca: He's been under the weather for a couple of days, Caballero said. He had a fever two days ago.

After the game, he went to the locker room and asked me to fill in for him since he wasn't feeling well.

Caballero was asked if he'd be in charge against Manchester City on Sunday, like he was against Villa during Maresca's suspension.

"I'm not sure," he said. I just want Enzo to get better. I think he'll be fine in a day or two.

The draw with Bournemouth means Chelsea has only won one of their last seven Premier League games.

Fans were clearly annoyed during the second half when Cole Palmer was subbed out for Joao Pedro.

Palmer just got back to playing regularly after a groin injury, but some Chelsea fans wondered why he was taken out.

About the boos, Caballero said, "Of course, every fan wants their best players on the field, and so do we."

But Cole is coming off a long injury, so we have to figure out the right subs for the game and also look out for our players since we didn't have him for a while.

Chelsea and Bournemouth had a boring 0-0 draw in their previous match earlier in the month.

But the game at Stamford Bridge was totally different, with Bournemouth taking the lead early on through David Brooks.

Palmer leveled the score with a penalty, and then Enzo Fernandez blasted a shot into the top corner to put Chelsea ahead.

But Chelsea failed to defend a long throw for the second time, allowing Justin Kluivert to score for Bournemouth.

After playing City, Chelsea will face their west London rivals Fulham before an FA Cup game away against Charlton Athletic.

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