We should have won — Maresca laments after Brentford draw

Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca believes his team deserved to win the game against Brentford, citing their improvement during the second half of the encounter. 

The Blues were held to a 2-2 draw at the GTech community stadium. The hosts scored first through Kevin Schade and took their lead into the break.

The introduction of Cole Palmer, Marc Cucurella and Reece James in the second half transformed Chelsea's fortunes, and they scored twice in the second 45 minutes. However, victory was not to be theirs, as a late Fabio Carvalho strike ensured that the spoils were shared.

Speaking after the game, the Italian tactician admitted to having struggled in the first half, noting their marked improvement during the second 45 minutes.  

“We knew that it was a tough game. The first half we struggled to find solutions, the space because they were defending very good,” he said, per the BBC. 

“I think second half we were much better. It's a shame because we concede in 93m 94 minutes and we could manage better that moment."

He criticised their defensive performance, stating that they conceded avoidable goals. However, on the balance of play, he is confident that they should have won.  

"You have to be able to avoid transitions and set pieces – they scored from transitions and set pieces. It's something we deal quite well with during the game, but in the end, we concede and it's a shame.

"I think we were much much better. I think we deserve to win the game second half but it's a shame. We lost two points."