Enzo Maresca says his Chelsea side deserved to beat Brentford, despite a shaky finish at Stamford Bridge.

The Blues ran out 2-1 winners but found their backs against the wall after Brian Mbuyomo pulled a goal back in the final 10 minutes and Mark Cucurella was sent off.

Chelsea went ahead just before half-time through their full-back, who flicked a header into the back of the net after a series of crosses from the hosts put the Bees under serious pressure.

It looked like the Blues would make up for their missed chances, especially Nicholas Jackson, who missed a full sitter in the match.

Aiming for an open goal, his first-time shot from a cross flew over the bar and into the stands.

But the Senegal international scored his goal in the 80th minute by drilling through the ball to Enzo Fernandez and into the corner.

Cucurella gifted Brentford possession and Mbuyomo capitalized by sliding the ball past Robert Sanchez just minutes from time.

🔵📈 Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea are now second in the Premier League. ✅ pic.twitter.com/CDa0NV8Fwb

— Eurofoot (@eurofootcom) December 15, 2024

The Spaniard was sent off after the final whistle to dampen proceedings slightly.

However, Maresca maintained a positive attitude in his post-match press conference.

He said: “We controlled the game apart from the last 10 minutes where we conceded. It is normal.

“We created chances. We could have scored more. We deserved to win the game.”

“It’s all about position. You have to be in the right position and if you are, you’ll get a chance.

“We worked with Mark in this game to get in the right position. We are very happy. It’s not normal because he’s not a big full-back. We worked for weeks on this kind of solution and we are lucky.

“I said after the Tottenham game that he (Jackson) didn’t score the goal but he did the most important thing. The rest were celebrating and he was going for a single ball. He worked hard on the ball.

“Only two teams have conceded less than us. Defensively we are not doing badly. We want to finish with a clean sheet but the other team is trying to score.

He left off with a departing comment on the title race, adding: “It’s not about how many games we win. It’s about being real. There are things we have to do better. That’s why I said we’re not ready for me.”