Enzo Maresca reacts to Alejandro Garnacho performance as Chelsea beat Lincoln in Carabao Cup

Enzo Maresca praised Alejandro Garnacho’s performance in Chelsea’s 2-1 win against Lincoln City in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night.

Chelsea were a goal down by half time as Rob Street put the League One side ahead in the 42nd minute.

Maresca revealed that he was furious with his side’s first-half display and Chelsea delivered an immediate response after the break as Tyrique George equalised in the 48th minute before Facundo Buonanotte put the Club World Cup holders in front two minutes later.

Garnacho, meanwhile, was handed his first start for Chelsea since his £40 million move from Manchester United in the closing stages of the summer transfer window.

The 21-year-old struggled to make an impact and was heavily booed by Lincoln fans before he was replaced by Estevao in the 59th minute.

When asked if Garnacho had taken his opportunity against Lincoln, Maresca told talkSPORT: ‘Absolutely.

‘It was not an easy game. That’s why I was upset first half because we know we need to do better.

‘But overall, him [Garnacho], [Jamie] Gittens, they did very well.’

When asked if he had angry words for his players at half time after their poor performance in the opening 45 minutes, Maresca said: ‘Absolutely, absolutely.

‘No, because we prepared the game thinking exactly in the way it was the first-half, and sometimes it’s not about desire, it’s about winning second ball, but it’s also about experience.

‘Jamie Gittens never played against League One [teams], these kind of games. Jorrel [Hato] never played this kind of game.

‘This kind of game, you have to play in a different way, you have to play in a different way. It’s more about desire, and we struggled in the first half.’

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