When Reece James landed awkwardly having challenged for the ball in the air in the first half we all expected him to make his well-hobbled path back to the treatment table. Fortunately not, but he’s playing as though he’s not yet returned from his last lay-off.

Back in October, Maresca publicly criticised James for his failure to lead the side behind the scenes during his injury absence, admitting he “expected more” from a player who has been at the club since the age of six.

Maresca found disliked the distractions the transfer window brought but will be satisfied with the way Chelsea trimmed their squad

Blues squad does not look deep enough to return to the wholesale rotation policy that fuelled their excellent start to the season

Enzo Maresca has been urged to consider dropping Enzo Fernandez to find a better balance within Chelsea’s midfield. Chelsea returned to winning ways with a 2-1 win against London rivals West Ham on Monday,

Enzo Maresca will be able to make changes to the squad that Chelsea named for the competition back in September. UEFA rules state that clubs can add signings from the January window to their squads, but only once the league phase has been completed.