Chelsea reporter claims Enzo Maresca ‘outwitted’ Eddie Howe despite 2-0 defeat | OneFootball

A Chelsea reporter has made a stark claim that Enzo Maresca outwitted Eddie Howe despite losing 2-0 to his Newcastle team.

The news comes after Chelsea went down 2-0 against Newcastle United away from home on Sunday lunch time in a crucial game for the race for Champions League football next season.

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Chelsea needed to win this game as much as Newcastle did, but a first half sending off by Nicolas Jackson did not help their cause. Enzo Maresca has admitted that Jackson now needs to learn from this situation moving forward.

Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher now believes that Chelsea have a big problem after this defeat with just two games remaining of the season and the reality being that The Blues need two wins to guarantee a place in the Champions League for next season.

Chelsea did have a better second half

Ironically, after losing Jackson and going down to ten men, Chelsea actually played better in the second half so you have to give props to Enzo Maresca for helping with that turnaround, making changes, and saying the right things at half time.

Enzo Maresca on the touchline against Newcastle. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

But you cannot say a manager who lost 2-0 outwitted the opposing manager, I’m sorry but you just can’t!

This is what Simon Johnson claims though

In his article for The Athletic, Johnson wrote:

Instead of shrinking in adversity, an all-too-common criticism of the current squad, they actually produced one of their best 45-minute displays away from Stamford Bridge this season. Maresca outwitted counterpart Eddie Howe, too.

The other points stand and are correct. But you certainly can’t ‘outwit’ anyone in a 2-0 defeat, mate.