Palmer hails Maresca ‘desire’ after Villa victory

Cole Palmer praised Enzo Maresca's wishes after Chelsea's 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Sunday.

The Blues moved into joint second place in the Premier League – behind only Arsenal due to alphabetical order – after a comfortable win at Stamford Bridge.

First-half goals from Nicolas Jackson and Enzo Fernandez put the hosts in control, while Palmer's brilliant 20-yard strike sealed the points seven minutes from time.

The England winger took his tally of league goals for the season to eight and highlighted Maresca's influence as a key factor in his consistently high-quality performances.

“I think if I go out and enjoy my football, the goals and assists will come,” he told Sky Sports. “It all comes down to the manager, the desire he puts into the sessions and what the players give him.

“Aston Villa are a good team, so winning and moving up the table is good. If we keep winning, I'm sure we'll get close to the top four. We'll just try to keep going and win a lot of games. ” .”

Maresca, meanwhile, paid tribute to Robert Sanchez and Moises Caicedo, who started the match at right-back, while The Blues kept a clean sheet of the season for the first time in the home league.

“The performance was very good,” he said. “A top performance on and off the ball, and [I am] very happy with the three points.

“We have no doubts whatsoever [about Sanchez]. It's more outside noises about him. But we are very happy because he helps us by saving goals and helping to build up.

“Moi deserves the best because he is a fantastic guy, very humble. Anything we ask, he is there to do it.”

BIG, BIG WIN!!!#CFC | #CHEAVL pic.twitter.com/GWsh2rVPAo

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) December 1, 2024