Chelsea’s manager, Enzo Maresca, hit back at his critics with a fiery outburst on Sunday after guiding the club to a Champions League return, following a 1-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
Levi Colwill’s close-range strike early in the second half sealed the win at the City Ground, securing Chelsea a fourth-place finish in the Premier League and ensuring their place in Europe’s top-tier competition for the first time in two years.
Forest’s hopes of reaching the top five were dashed as they ended the campaign in seventh place, although they have secured a place in the UEFA Conference League next season.
Chelsea now turn their attention to Wednesday’s UEFA Conference League final in Poland, where they face Real Betis.
A win would see the London side become the first club to have lifted all three major UEFA competitions, having previously triumphed in both the Champions League and Europa League.
Maresca, in just his second season as a manager after earning promotion with Leicester City, has come under fire at times for his cautious tactics and inexperience.
But on Sunday, he did not hold back as he criticised those who had doubted his side throughout the campaign.
“I never had any doubts about the players,” Maresca said. “The doubts were always from outside — from people who think they have all the answers, who said we’re too young, too inexperienced, not good enough.”
He continued, “They claimed we couldn’t win at this ground because we lacked maturity. But they’ve all been proven wrong. And to those who think they know it all, we say, as the English do, ‘F off.’ The players deserve that moment.”
Maresca further defended his team’s achievements, noting that while Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool all dropped points at Forest, Chelsea emerged with a win — a feat that deserves more recognition.
“We’re judged on results, and if we hadn’t won today, people would’ve called the season a failure,” he added. “But it’s not. This team has achieved something significant.”
Nottingham Forest had slim hopes of qualifying for the Champions League for the first time since the 1980–81 campaign. Despite defeats for Newcastle and Aston Villa, Forest couldn’t capitalise and will now enter the Conference League.
Their manager, Nuno Espírito Santo, maintained a positive outlook, praising his players for their resilience over the season.
“Overall, it’s been a good campaign,” Nuno said. “We’ve developed a strong team spirit and improved a lot. Though today is disappointing, we’ll reflect with pride.”
