Chelsea Edges Lincoln City 2-1 After Enzo Maresca's Fiery Half-Time Rally

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed frustration with his team's first-half performance in their Carabao Cup match against League One side Lincoln City, citing a lack of experience and desire in dealing with the physical and aggressive style of play. After Lincoln took a 1-0 lead, Maresca gave a fiery half-time talk that sparked a second-half comeback, with Chelsea scoring twice to win 2-1 and advance to the next round. Maresca highlighted the challenges posed by Lincoln's strategy of delivering numerous balls into the box, which tested Chelsea's goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen, especially as it was his first game of the season. Maresca also emphasized the importance of experience when facing lower-league teams, noting that his players had to adapt to a different kind of game characterized by intense duels and set-piece chaos. Beyond the cup tie, Maresca provided an update on Cole Palmer's injury, indicating the forward would likely avoid groin surgery and that his recovery would be monitored on a day-to-day basis. Overall, Maresca acknowledged the lessons learned from this encounter would be valuable for future matches against similar opponents, stressing the difficulty and risk of such fixtures.