ENZO MARESCA pulled a “Frank Lampard” live on TV, leaving Chelsea fans in stitches.
Chelsea staged an incredible comeback from 2-0 down to beat Tottenham 4-3 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Sunday.
The win left the Blues four points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool.
However, speaking to Sky Sports after the game, Maresca was asked about Marc Cucurella’s nightmare opening minutes which saw him slip twice to gift Spurs their early advantage.
The Italian saw the funny side of the situation and joked: “He said to me after the game that he was trying to bring emotion to the game!”
But after a brief chuckle, the 44-year-old then switched to a more serious tone, saying: “No, being serious.”
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And fans could not help but notice the similarities between Maresca and former manager Lampard.
Blues legend Lampard, who now manages Championship side Coventry, became well known for trying to crack a joke in interviews before switching to a more serious tone.
Reacting to the similarities on social media, one fan said: “Lovely Frank Lampard tribute from Enzo Maresca here.”
A second said: “‘No but seriously’,” followed by a pair of crying emojis.
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A third added: “This is brilliant.”
Another said: “It’s a Chelsea thing.”
Numerous others responded by replying with laughing face emojis.
Lampard himself is aware of the gimmick, revealing how his daughter teases him by sending him videos of the meme.
In his “serious” reaction to Cucurella, Maresca said: “No, being serious, to come to this stadium against this team and be 2-0 down, but continue then with the same plan on and off the ball and then second half we changed things tactically.
“I think overall we deserved to win.
“It’s more a question for Marc. They are mature enough to decide what boots they need for the game.
“The most important thing is that we were 2-0 but we continued the same way to create chances.”
Chelsea ratings vs Tottenham
CHELSEA came from two goals behind to beat Spurs 4-3 in a chaotic game at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium,
Here’s how the Blues players rated…
Robert Sanchez – 4
The home fans were on to him for the entirety of the first half after he lumped the ball out of play early on.
Not an awful lot he could’ve done about the goals, and he did recover well in the second half.
Moises Caicedo – 6
Chelsea’s best defender on the day, he put in some strong challenges inverting into midfield and put in a solid performance once again.
Fortunate to escape a card for a late challenge on Pape Matar Sarr, before a brilliant second half.
Benoit Badiashile – 4
Looked uncomfortable playing as a left-footed centre-back on the right-hand side.
Often didn’t help Robert Sanchez by playing him into trouble, and looked awkward when trying to progress from the back.
Levi Colwill – 6
Allowed Solanke to get in front of him and finish brilliantly at the near post for the opening goal.
Didn’t have an awful lot to do in the second half, which was perhaps a good sign, as the whole defence was improved.
Marc Cucurella – 4
Slipped at the vital moment to practically set Spurs through and open the scoring within five minutes, before slipping AGAIN which saw Kulusevski double the lead.
Recovered really well after swapping his ice skates for football boots, nabbing the assist for Sancho’s goal and giving a solid showing for the whole second half.
That said, he has to be marked down for the two goals.
Romeo Lavia – 8
Energetic, strong and smooth on the turn in midfield, with some brilliant line-breaking passes too.
Much the same as Caicedo, he is becoming a dependable, impressive body in the Chelsea midfield.
Came off at half-time for Malo Gusto, which must have been a tactical switch.
Enzo Fernandez (c) – 9
Didn’t misplace a single one of his 28 passes in the first half, the same as Lavia – before adding a stunning, game-winning, left-footed volley to his myriad of impressive actions.
His best game in a Chelsea shirt came in one of their biggest matches of the season, as he continues his remarkable run of goal contributions.
Pedro Neto – 7
A threat on the right wing in the first half for Chelsea, he pressed well and came close to scoring Palmer’s deflected effort.
A constant danger, he was creative but slightly lacked in end product if you’re being critical.
Cole Palmer – 9
Mis-kicked a chance in the first twenty minutes you would usually bet your house on him scoring, before coming close again with a shot from range moments later.
Calmly dispatched his equalising penalty into the bottom corner, before setting up Enzo Fernandez to put his side in the lead.
Added the cherry on the Chelsea cake with an ice-cold panenka from the penalty spot.
Jadon Sancho – 8
Excellent finish to pull one back for the Blues and spark hope among supporters.
Generally sharp in build-up, and tricky feet as always, with a great slide-rule pass to see Caicedo win the penalty for Chelsea’s equaliser.
Nicolas Jackson – 6
Looked a threat going forward for Chelsea in spells, but failed to get himself on the scoresheet on this occasion.
Seemed troubled as he departed the pitch for the oncoming Christopher Nkunku.
SUBS…
Malo Gusto (Romeo Lavia, HT) – 5
Was more direct and definitely an improvement on Malacia, albeit on the opposite flank.
However, still wasn’t able to be the difference which Ruben Amorim would’ve been looking for in this one.
Christopher Nkunku (Nicolas Jackson, 76)
Got in some good positions and pressed well, remaining an outlet for the Chelsea attack when they countered.
Ultimately not enough time to have the impact he would’ve liked.
Noni Madueke (Pedro Neto, 86)
Not enough time to impact the game in any way.
Renato Veiga (Marc Cucurella, 90)
Not enough time to give a solid review, hardly touched the ball.
Joao Felix (Cole Palmer, 90)
Came on with seven minutes to go, in which Chelsea were defending for the most part.
After the game, Cucurella apologised to fans by showing a picture of his old boots in the bin.
Maresca added the win – Chelsea’s fourth in a row in the league – was “perfect”, though he remained coy on title talk.
He said: “To come to this stadium and think you are going to win and not suffer, it’s impossible. It’s the perfect win probably because of this.
“After the game, my message to the players is to be focused in the day by day, our sessions, the next game on Thursday and then Sunday.
“The main focus has to be to enjoy the day off and when we come back, 100%, train well, go for the game.
“The fans can dream because from the outside, it is quite clear and inside, the reality is we are not ready but the important thing is we improve day by day.”
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Chelsea face Astana in their next game in the Europa Conference League on Thursday at the extraordinary kick-off time of 3:30pm.
They then host Brentford at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
