Lincoln City 1-2 Chelsea, EFL Cup: Maresca Frustrated By Blues' Ignorance In Cagey Win Vs League 1 Side

• Chelsea came back from a goal down at the break to reach the fourth round of the competition

• “We struggled a little bit in the first half but [in the] second half we were much better and we won the game.”

• Despite his coach's warnings, Gusto was also left surprised at Lincoln's direct approach

Enzo Maresca was left annoyed with his Chelsea side during their 2-1 win against Lincoln City in the EFL Cup.

The Blues came back from a goal down at the break to reach the fourth round of the competition, with quickfire goals from Tyrique George and Facundo Buonanotte securing their spot in Wednesday's draw.

Chelsea have now progressed from each of their last 18 EFL Cup ties against teams from a lower division, the joint-second longest run by a top-flight side in EFL Cup history.

The Club World Cup champions laboured in the first half, creating just 0.37 expected goals (xG) in the opening 45 minutes compared to their 1.77 xG in the second period.

Maresca was glad to see his team progress, but was disappointed in their start as they knew what to expect from their counterparts.

“It was not an easy game,” Maresca told BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I told them [the players] it was not an easy game. That is why I was so annoyed in the first half, because we know that we needed to do better. Overall, they did well.

“We knew that it was a very tricky game because they are the most direct team in League One, so crosses, free kicks, throw ins into the box, you have to defend those.

“We struggled a little bit in the first half but [in the] second half we were much better and we won the game.”

Lewis Monstma rattled the woodwork inside two minutes for the hosts before Rob Street was the benefactor of a mistake from Enzo Fernandez as League One Lincoln looked to cause a big upset in the cup.

Chelsea defender Malo Gusto explained that an injection of energy at half-time helped the Blues turn the tie around.

“It was a tough game. We knew already before we came here that they play a lot with set pieces and try to bully them,” said Gusto.

“The first half was very complicated for us to get into the game but the second half was much better because we came back with more energy and more desire.

“We kept fighting on the pitch in the second half and I think that's why we won. Very happy to get into the next round.” 

Despite his coach's warnings, Gusto was also left surprised at Lincoln's direct approach.

He added: “The way that they play, I have never seen that in my life before, but that is their quality.

“So we had to deal with that and I think we did quite well.”