IPSWICH, United Kingdom (AFP)— Enzo Maresca admitted Chelsea should not think about challenging for the Premier League title after lowly Ipswich beat the Blues 2-0 at Portman Road on Monday. Maresca’s side were rocked by Liam Delap’s early penalty and a second-half goal from former Chelsea winger Omari Hutchinson. Chelsea’s second successive defeat after their Boxing Day loss against Fulham left them without a win in their last three matches.
The west Londoners had emerged as surprise title contenders after an eight-match winning run in all competitions. But Maresca had insisted throughout that spell that Chelsea’s inexperienced squad do not have what it takes to win the title in his first season after arriving from Leicester. And the Italian’s prediction looks spot on after a shock result in Suffolk that leaves Chelsea in fourth place, 10 points behind leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
“We focus game by game. We are not focused on title race or those things,” Maresca said. “It was a strange game.
We had many chances but we could do many things better, defend better in some moments. “Now we’ve finished the first part of the season, no one expected us to be where we are. It’s a long race.
” Third-bottom Ipswich climb within one point of safety after winning for the second time in their last four matches. Kieran McKenna’s side have renewed belief they can avoid relegation back to the Championship thanks to their first top-flight home win in .
