Maresca hailed 'important' Chelsea victory in Copenhagen

On Thursday night, Chelsea defeated Copenhagen 2-1 on the road in the first leg of their Conference League last-16 match, and manager Enzo Maresca emphasised the significance of the outcome.

"Very important for many reasons," Maresca said in his post-match reflection, highlighting the importance of defeating the opposition in a knockout match.

The Italian tactician acknowledged that Copenhagen's tactical approach had surprised his team, noting, "They surprised us because over the last three years with this manager, they played two games in a line of five – so we didn't expect that".

Despite this unexpected challenge, Maresca felt his side deserved the win, stating, "First half we controlled the game and had possession but we didn't create chances. But overall we deserved to win the game and it was good to give all of them minutes".

Goals from Reece James and Enzo Fernandez gave Chelsea a two-goal cushion before Gabriel Pereira pulled one back for the hosts late on.

Maresca expressed some disappointment with the conceded goal, describing it as "a little bit of a sloppy goal", but maintained a positive outlook on the overall performance.

Looking ahead to the second leg at Stamford Bridge next week, Maresca cautioned against complacency, reminding his players and supporters that "now 90 minutes is finished and we are happy we won. Now we have another 90 minutes next week against them".