'A real game' - Maresca more impressed with Everton draw than previous win

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed greater satisfaction with his team's performance in their 0-0 draw against Everton on Sunday than with their previous 2-1 victory over Brentford.

The Blues failed to claim all three points at Goodison Park. However, Maresca praised his players' fighting spirit in what he described as a "fierce contest."

Maresca focused on the positive aspects of his team's display.

"That was a real game. I am very happy because the performance of the boys was fantastic. Sometimes you have to play a different game and we are learning to play a different game. They (Everton) are one of the best teams in Europe in terms of clean sheets," he said via Reuters.

Maresca went on to explain why he valued this performance more than the win against Brentford.

"I said to the players I was more happy than (last week's) game at Brentford. We tried everything. For sure, you can always do something better but we are very happy because this is a tough stadium – not only for us but also in the Premier League," he said.

For their next fixture, Chelsea will host Fulham in the English Premier League when both London clubs clash on Boxing Day.