Chelsea 1-0 Benfica (Rios OG 18’, Pedro sent off 90+6)
STAMFORD BRIDGE – In the early 2000s, there was a spate of writing about the cult of celebrity. It coincided with the salad days of Jose Mourinho, who as Benfica boss walked out to bursts of white light, cameras clicking hungrily as if he had never been away.
For the Portuguese, back in the Primeira Liga in the twilight years, this was his real homecoming, the name erupting around Stamford Bridge within a minute. To that, he replied with a wave and a kiss. A tacit acknowledgement he may never feel love like it again, for one night only Chelsea fans relished a transportation 20 years back in time.
The yearning for connection has its roots in the present uncertainty after an ambivalent start. The “crisis” has nevertheless been overblown. Despite supposed rumblings of unrest against Enzo Maresca after consecutive league defeats, nobody within these walls has serious doubts, victory over Benfica not entirely convincing but a chance to reinstate his core tenets.
With just seconds left on the clock, Chelsea go down to 10-men as Joao Pedro receives a second yellow…
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Among the criticisms, that he has not been bold enough to put his faith in positive prospects like Alejandro Garnacho, turning instead to conservative solutions. The £40m summer addition showed that worth, latching onto Pedro Neto’s cross to force Richard Rios to turn into his own net.
The timing of Mourinho’s return, with scrutiny mounting, was unfortunate. On the other hand, past ghosts do not have to haunt what Chelsea are becoming now. Maresca’s photos don’t yet adorn the walls – an honour reserved for title-winners – while he oversees a quiet revolution. Understated, often underrated, he is in keeping with the “Big Six” coach in 2025, at 45 slotting neatly into the age bracket too.
The magnetism of Mourinho in crisp white shirt and tight-fitting navy jacket has dimmed only a little. Maresca, by contrast, rocked the club tracksuit.
Jose Mourinho walked down the touchline to tell Benfica fans to stop throwing objects at Enzo Fernandez while he was taking a corner
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The lack of posturing is no bad thing, even if Mourinho’s ability to command the space remains unmatched. As Benfica supporters pelted former charge Enzo Fernandez with missiles, their new leader strode over to the away end to demand they stop.
The ask of Maresca was never that he fill those shoes, but embrace modernity – precisely what Mourinho could never do.
After the defeat to Brighton, the current incumbent conceded he is still learning on the job, a dose of humility the majority of fans accepted. Hauling off Estevao had been the wrong call; here, he was the first sub on. Tyrique George continues to struggle but there was progress for Trevoh Chalobah, rebounding from his weekend dismissal with a decisive tackle to halt Vangelis Pavlidis.
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Three plates are being spun: the magnitude of player churn, the injuries, the youngsters being nurtured. Not to mention the red cards, Joao Pedro the latest. Few really believe Chelsea’s state of flux is down to Maresca, rather than the ownership group and their string of superimposed sporting directors.
The surrounding streets still bear as many scarves of Drogba, Lampard, Terry, Hazard, as of current stars. That tells you as much about the wrestle with identity as any fawning over the man that managed those cult heroes.
Maresca has two big selling points – a discernible system that eluded his predecessors, and two trophies. What he needs now is cut-through – that is where from Mourinho, he could learn a thing or two.
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