Enzo Maresca has provided an in-depth tactical breakdown of Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over West Ham, highlighting how his players adapted to the opposition’s defensive setup.

The Chelsea boss acknowledged that breaking down West Ham’s deep block in the first half was difficult, as they committed all their players behind the ball.

“In the first half, we tried and we played on the opponent’s side but there was no space – 11 players [behind the ball], with Jarrod Bowen marking Caicedo, they just allowed us to play with Tosin on the ball. So they tried to frustrate us and you need to be mentally strong.”

Despite the compact defensive approach from West Ham, Maresca insisted Chelsea still created chances before conceding from an error.

“Even with that, in the first half we had four or five clear chances where unfortunately we missed the target and then we conceded the goal from our mistake.”

At half-time, Maresca urged his players to stick to their approach, believing West Ham couldn’t maintain their defensive intensity for the full 95 minutes.

“This is the reason why I said you have to be mentally strong because my message at half-time was don’t change anything, continue in the same way, because they cannot be so intense for 95 minutes, it is impossible because they were just running behind the ball.”

Chelsea eventually found more space after the break, with the substitutes making a significant impact in turning the game around.

“Second half, we found a little bit more space and also the subs from the bench were very good. So I am very happy for that [reason].”

Maresca’s tactical approach paid off as Chelsea fought back through Pedro Neto’s equaliser and an Aaron Wan-Bissaka own goal, securing a crucial three points.