Last night’s matchwinner Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was justly rewarded for his efforts in training according to Enzo Maresca, who has noted the midfield’s development over the course of this campaign.
It is in the cup competitions that Dewsbury-Hall has been afforded most of his game time since signing for Chelsea last summer. His winner against Copenhagen was his third UEFA Conference League goal in ten European appearances for us.
The goal itself epitomised the determination Maresca spoke so highly of after the game, as he showed quick feet and then forced his way through a host of opposition players before finishing coolly to send us into the quarter-finals.
‘I am very happy for Kiernan,’ enthused Maresca.
‘He is now much better compared to the start of the season, probably because he is understanding his role. He is working very well every day in training, even if he doesn’t get many minutes in the Premier League.
‘It’s not easy to work every day with the same intention, but he is working fantastic. He showed how important he can be for us, and hopefully he can be even more important from now on.’
Dewsbury-Hall’s goal secured a fourth consecutive victory in all competitions and a fifth on the bounce at Stamford Bridge.
After what had been a disappointing run of results, Maresca is hopeful we are finding our form at the right time as we approach Sunday’s visit to Arsenal and then the climax of the 2024/25 campaign.
‘I’m absolutely happy with the progress we are making,’ stated Maresca.
‘In terms of results, we have won the last four games, and we’ve had three clean sheets, so it’s very important. Now we have the last effort on Sunday, hopefully we can finish well before the international break.
‘After the international break we can have back Nico [Jackson] and Noni [Madueke], so we can go for the final sprint. For sure the last four games have been good in terms of results. We are in the quarter-finals, we are fourth in the league, so we are there. Now we just need to finish in the best way.’