Maresca pleased with his team's performance despite Chelsea's loss to Man City

Erling Haaland and former Chelsea teammate Mateo Kovacic combined to secure a 2-0 victory for City at Stamford Bridge.

Maresca said, "I think we competed very well for much of the game. We were similar if not better. The performance was there but we didn't take the chances. Probably the big difference was inside the box. I'm quite happy in terms of performance.

"For me, the important thing is to create chances. We didn't score but we created chances. The first goal for them was almost offside, we almost scored. these things change results but the performance was good overall. It was quite clear, you can see a team trying to keep the ball and dominate.

"We were against the champions today. We will continue and win games. They are a master in this kind of moment. We had two or three chances. They are a master of keeping hold of the ball. The performance was there and that is the main thing. You can see how they manage the ball.

"In terms of chances, we had the same. Keeping the ball was more or less there. We don't like to lose. We just need to continue."

On dropping Raheem Sterling and his management team's statement before kickoff, Maresca added: "To be honest, I didn't see the statement. I have nothing to say. It was a tactical decision, no more than that. in the next day, we will clarify in case we need to. I have been clear, it's a tactical decision. I didn't see it."