Maresca got it all wrong giving 4/10 Chelsea man 90 minutes

Well, where did that come from?

Looking set to maintain their rampant momentum in the bid to secure an unlikely Premier League title, high-flying Chelsea slipped up in dramatic circumstances at home to Fulham on Thursday afternoon, with the visitors ultimately running out shock 2-1 winners on Boxing Day.

Another routine victory against a side who hadn’t won at Stamford Bridge since 1979 looked to be on the cards as Cole Palmer waltzed his way through for the opener, with a deserved second later chalked off as Levi Colwill was correctly ruled offside.

That reprieve seemingly helped spark the Cottagers into life in the closing stages as supersub Harry Wilson nodded home on the 82nd-minute mark, before some slack Chelsea defending allowed Rodrigo Muniz to convert at the death to seal all three points for Marco Silva’s men.

That last-gasp collapse will no doubt sting for Blues boss Enzo Maresca, with the Italian coach left to reflect on some notable mixed performances from the home side.

Chelsea’s best & worst performers vs Fulham

We’ll come on to the negatives shortly, but in a positive sense, there’s only one place to start – Palmer.

Chelsea’s Mr Reliable chalked up his 12th league goal of the season in some style to help kickstart proceedings at the Bridge, the England international slotting home in his trademark, composed fashion after a delightful jinking run.

That solo goal ensures the 22-year-old now boasts a ridiculous tally of 37 goals and 21 assists in just 65 games for the west London side, with Manchester City’s decision to let him go looking ever more head-scratching with each passing game.

On the flip side, Palmer was not exactly helped by the rest of his attacking colleagues, with Jadon Sancho failing to provide a single key pass, as per Sofascore, while Pedro Neto was also culpable at both ends of the pitch, as his ‘end product was somewhat disappointing’, in the words of Express journalist Joe Krishnan.

Defensively, the Portuguese speedster was also found wanting for Fulham’s opener, with the former Wolves man far too easily brushed aside by the advancing Alex Iwobi, while rather embarrassingly continuing to roll around clutching his face as the attack developed.

There may supporters quite why the winger wasn’t withdrawn amid the wealth of Maresca’s options, with the same perhaps also true of his right-sided teammate, Malo Gusto.

Malo Gusto’s display vs Fulham

It must be said that Gusto wasn’t the only member of the backline to have underwhelmed on Thursday afternoon, although the Frenchman will have to shoulder a large part of the blame for his role in Muniz’s winner.

The former Lyon defender failed to track his man as Fulham countered in stoppage time, showing a limited desire to try and get back into position as the opposition queued up to convert at the back post.

Not only was the 21-year-old culpable in that moment, but he also struggled, on the whole, up against the lively Antonee Robinson, having been dribbled past one occasion whilst also losing the ball 11 times.

There was little joy in an attacking sense either as Gusto failed to complete a single cross and successfully completed just one of his four long ball attempts, with only one key pass created too from his 78 touches.

Amid those woes, it does beg the question of quite why Maresca – who only used one substitute in total – did not replace the right-back in the second half, particularly with promising youngster Josh Achaempong among those waiting in the wings.

That was certainly the verdict of journalist Tom Overend who suggested that Gusto “needed to go”, with the aforementioned Krishnan awarding him a measly 4/10 match rating.

Maresca’s decision not to utilise his bench is a perplexing one considering the frantic nature of the festive schedule, with Chelsea left to rue a result that hands even further control to league leaders Liverpool in the title race.