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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ben Fisher at the City Ground

Blue is the colour: Maresca turns on his critics after Chelsea secure fourth place

Chelsea Enzo Maresca UEFA Champions League the Champions League
Chelsea players celebrate after their victory at the City Ground saw them clinch Champions League qualification.
Chelsea players celebrate after their victory at the City Ground saw them clinch Champions League qualification. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

A delighted Enzo Maresca said Chelsea had emphatically answered their critics by qualifying for the Champions League and told those who doubted his team to “eff-off”. A 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest confirmed Chelsea will play in Europe’s premier competition next campaign and Maresca urged his squad to cap this season by winning the Conference League final on Wednesday.

Chelsea finished fourth in the Premier League after Levi Colwill scored the only goal at the City Ground, jumping ahead of Newcastle, who slipped to a final-day defeat at home to Everton. Maresca, this his first season in charge after joining from Leicester, praised his team – the youngest in Premier League history with an average age of 24 years and 36 days.

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