Calum McFarlane, suddenly in charge at Chelsea, gave credit to his players after they fought through a chaotic week and managed to grab a surprising draw at Manchester City.

Enzo Fernandez saved Chelsea with a stoppage-time equalizer, just weeks after the shock of manager Enzo Maresca leaving on New Year’s Day. That late goal dented City’s push for the title at the Etihad.

City looked like they’d done enough for the win after Tijjani Reijnders scored, which could have closed the gap to Arsenal at the top to four points. But Chelsea hung on, kept grinding, and walked away with a point—the game finished 1-1.

McFarlane, the club’s under-21 coach, found himself thrown into the spotlight as interim boss. It looks like he’ll step aside soon, with Liam Rosenior expected to take over before Chelsea’s trip to Fulham on Wednesday.

Rosenior, who’s been coaching at Strasbourg (Chelsea’s sister club), reportedly flew to London for an interview. Chelsea, as usual, kept quiet about the rumors.

McFarlane handled the pressure well, going up against Pep Guardiola—a man with a trophy cabinet most managers can only dream about. But McFarlane didn’t want the spotlight. He wanted the players to get their due.

“There’s been a lot of upheaval,” McFarlane said. “Enzo did really well with this group, so some of the guys were stunned when he left.

“The way they’ve all responded these last couple days, and again today—Reece, Tosin, and Enzo—they’ve pulled the team together.

“Honestly, everyone expected us to lose today. No one gave us a shot.

“But we always believed in the character and talent in this squad, and they proved it. I can’t say enough about this group.”

Some think McFarlane might be headed to Strasbourg if Rosenior comes to Chelsea, but he brushed that off.

“That’s news to me,” he said. “No one’s told me anything about that.

“When I took this on, all I knew was I’d be managing for the Manchester City game.

“Now, there’s a real chance the new manager’s in by Monday.”

The city’s result just adds to a rough week after their draw at Sunderland. They’re now six points behind Arsenal, and injuries are piling up. Josko Gvardiol and Ruben Dias both picked up knocks, joining John Stones on the sidelines.

Guardiola sounded frustrated. “We’re missing a lot of players. Stones has been out for who knows how long. Ruben’s now out, Josko too, and Nathan Ake can’t play every match.

“That’s the situation—just got to stay strong and find a way. The spirit’s still there.”

When someone asked if City might sign a new defender, Guardiola didn’t sound convinced. “I don’t think so, but who knows?”

For him, the real problem was City’s finishing.

“We did everything right—except score that second, third, or fourth goal,” he said. “In the second half, Chelsea had nothing to lose, and they got their reward right at the end.”

Pedro Neto, Chelsea’s winger, didn’t hide his surprise when Enzo Maresca left the club earlier this week. The news caught him off guard.

Things had been tense behind closed doors for a while, and on January 1, Chelsea and Maresca finally called it quits. The relationship just couldn’t be fixed.

Neto joined the wave of players posting goodbye messages for Maresca, thanking him for “all the memories, achievements, and trust.” He also opened up about the departure on Sky Sports.

“After the Bournemouth match, we really wanted to win, and honestly, everyone was pretty upset,” Neto said. “When I heard the news, at first, I was surprised. The manager did a lot for us. Last season was incredible, and this season was going well too. Sure, we always want to do better, but that’s football.

“For me, it’s sad. He helped me a lot over the years, and I learned so much from him. He was great to me, personally. All I can say is thank you. But this is football—we have to move on, focus on the next game, and try to win.”

What’s strange about Maresca’s exit is that it wasn’t about results or any rift with the players. Neto made it clear—Maresca was still popular in the dressing room. The real problems were with the people running the club.

After the 2–2 draw with Bournemouth, Maresca skipped the post-match press conference. His assistant, Willy Caballero, blamed it on illness. But a few days later, the truth came out: Maresca wasn’t sick. He’d actually asked to leave the club that night.

According to The Athletic, Maresca didn’t say a word to the squad after the final whistle. He just changed and left, which probably explains why the players sensed something was off.

He’d grown frustrated over transfers, squad rotation, and medical restrictions. It was too much, and the people calling the shots weren’t happy with how he handled it.

Right now, Strasbourg manager Liam Rosenior looks like the favorite to take over. But for Sunday’s game against Manchester City, the Under-21 coach, Calum McFarlane, steps in to lead the team.