Chelsea’s players and fans erupted in jubilation at the final whistle after a rousing 3-1 win over Premier League champion Liverpool on Sunday – but manager Enzo Maresca knows the road back to Europe’s elite is far from over.
Stamford Bridge shook to the sound of “One Step Beyond” by Madness, as blue shirts danced, hugged and high-fived on and off the pitch. Maresca sprinted across the turf in celebration, swept up in the emotion of a performance that brought belief roaring back to west London.
“Probably the best atmosphere of the season,” Maresca said post-match. “This is what we need every game. At this stage of the season, you simply have to win – that’s why you saw everyone so happy at the end.”
Chelsea struck early, with Enzo Fernandez smashing home to ignite the crowd. A calamitous own goal from Jarell Quansah doubled the lead. Liverpool rallied late – Virgil van Dijk gave the visitors hope with a thumping 85th-minute header – but Cole Palmer sealed it from the spot in stoppage time, sending the Bridge into delirium.
The win kept Chelsea in fifth place, the final Champions League qualifying spot in the Premier League, and narrowed the gap with teams above them.
The party mood was a sharp contrast to tensions at Stamford Bridge as recently as mid-April, when Maresca blamed "the environment" in the stadium for a poor performance in a 2-2 draw with struggling Ipswich Town.
But behind Sunday’s celebrations – Chelsea’s first league win over Liverpool since 2021 – lurked the realization that the biggest challenge to their Champions League hopes is still ahead.
Liverpool, crowned English champion last weekend, fielded a half-strength starting 11 as coach Arne Slot gave some of his understudies a chance to shine.
In their three remaining games, Chelsea must travel to Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest – both also chasing Champions League places – and host an out-of-form Manchester United team looking to finish the season with some momentum.
Maresca said he was taking the season's finale one match at a time but emphasized it was “very important” for Palmer to be back on the scoresheet.
Palmer scored 14 goals in Chelsea’s first 21 games of the season but had not found the back of the net since mid-January.
Slot said he was disappointed not to follow last weekend’s title-clinching success with a better result but praised his players for dominating possession and for extending their record of scoring in every away league game this season.
The Dutchman also expressed surprise that Chelsea’s title ambitions had faded so quickly after running Liverpool close in a 2-1 loss at Anfield in October.
“I expected them to be a threat this season,” he said. “To be 19 points ahead of them is a big compliment.”
