Chelsea crisis boils down to sliding doors moment as Enzo Maresca sack threat looms

The calls for to be sacked by have only strengthened after their drab 1-0 defeat to on Sunday, which left them sweating over their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. The Blues were undone by a Mikel Merino header as the set-piece specialists eased to a comfortable win despite the narrow scoreline. Without , Nicolas Jackson and Noni Madueke, the visitors were always going to struggle to create chances – let alone score them – and David Raya’s gloves were largely unaffected aside from one Marc Cucurella effort. It felt like a pivotal moment in their season, with only nine games remaining and only four points separating them and ninth-placed Aston Villa. But on reflection, the crucial point arrived much earlier in the season.

When faced in October in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, Maresca was riding high and his opposite number Eddie Howe was facing the heat. The Magpies had struggled to get their season off the ground with 12 points from nine games and were beaten 2-1 by the west Londoners only three days before at Stamford Bridge. A cup fixture offered an opportunity for Howe to try something different and win back some faith from the unconvinced fanbase, while Maresca was able to use their fine form to go on a cup run. Perhaps it’s fair to say neither manager expected the 90 minutes that followed at St James’ Park to almost define the rest of their respective campaigns.

fielded a strong starting lineup, with Alexander Isak and Anthony Gordon among the headline names to be included by Howe. On the opposite side, Maresca made wholesale changes and benched star man , along with regulars Levi Colwill and Noni Madueke. The Italian would live to regret rotating his side so early in the season, though, as the hosts came firing out of the blocks and took a 2-0 lead inside the first half an hour.

Isak scored the first before Axel Disasi’s own goal three minutes later put them in a commanding position. dominated possession and had double the number of shots but couldn’t find the back of the net as they succumbed to a disappointing defeat in the north east.

The fortunes of both coaches changed on that day. bounced back impressively to contend for a place in Europe while ‘s title challenge faded almost as quickly as it was uttered into existence. As Maresca licked his wounds in the wake of yet another defeat against a Big Six rival, Howe was a few miles away at Wembley gearing up for the Carabao Cup final against .

He watched his men play ‘s side off the park, with Dan Burn and Isak both scoring before Federico Chiesa’s late consolation. lifted the cup with their adoring fans praising their players and hailing their manager, whereas the mood could not be more distinctive at .

The fans boo their players every time they pass backwards under Maresca’s instructions – and it’s no wonder. They haven’t won away from home in the Premier League in 2025, a run that stretches back seven games and includes five defeats.

At this point in the season, results should be taking priority over style but the 45-year-old stubbornly persists with his unpopular and now inefficient blueprint. are still fourth for now and are within a decent chance of qualifying for the Champions League.

But they could easily find themselves behind , who are two points adrift and have a game in hand, by the time the two teams meet in Tyneside on May 10. It will be down to Maresca to correct the record after his stars were shown up on their last visit to face the Toon.