Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca stopped short of pleading with frustrated supporters after his team was booed off following a shaky 2-2 draw against struggling Ipswich on Sunday.
Maresca and his players faced jeers at halftime after falling 2-0 down to third-from-bottom Ipswich at Stamford Bridge.
Despite dominating early, Chelsea conceded against the run of play when Julio Enciso tapped in Ben Johnson’s cutback. Johnson then headed in Enciso’s cross to double the lead, turning the home crowd hostile.
The second goal came after goalkeeper Robert Sanchez abandoned Maresca’s preferred short build-up play, opting for a long punt instead—a decision that backfired as Ipswich pounced.
Though Chelsea clawed back with an Axel Tuanzebe own goal and a brilliant late strike from Jadon Sancho, the draw did little to boost their Champions League hopes. They remain sixth, just one point behind fifth-placed Manchester City with six games left.
Maresca hinted that fan frustration influenced Sanchez’s costly decision, saying: “We are a team that most of the time our goal-kicks we play short.”
He added: “The second goal we decided to play long because of the environment and we conceded the second one. We conceded a goal when the players decided to play long ball, but sometimes if you go long it doesn’t mean you are going to control things. The second goal we conceded was that.”
Booing echoed around the Bridge once again in another disjointed Chelsea performance, but Maresca refused to beg for backing—though he admitted it would help. “We are stronger with our fans, we are a better team.
It’s up to them to decide the way. When we were 0-1, 0-2, it’s normal for them to be the way they were,” he said.
Despite the turmoil, Chelsea still have Champions League hopes alive and hold a comfortable 3-0 lead over Legia Warsaw in their Conference League quarter-final.