Jose Mourinho’s return to Stamford Bridge is always a nice sight, although his Benfica side lost 1-0 to the Blues on Tuesday night in a very equal Champions League match. The Portuguese tactician, who took over for Bruno Lage after Fenerbahce fired him in September, identified the one Chelsea player who was suffering.
Enzo Maresca made changes after his side’s 3-1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion the previous Saturday. Tyrique George began in the middle, Alejandro Garnacho played his first Champions League minutes for Chelsea, while Facundo Buonanotte operated in the pocket behind the striker.
Despite a few player changes, Maresca’s team nevertheless emerged victorious. To begin and shut the scoring, Richard Rios’ heavily anticipated own goal in the 18th minute did the trick. Garnacho sent a pass across the box, but the Brazilian midfielder was unable to control his feet, resulting in the ball being propelled into the net.
Watch the highlights of Chelsea’s 1-0 win over Benfica below:
Mourinho Singled Out ‘Struggling’ Chelsea Ace in Post-Match Interview
It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows for the Premier League club, either, as Joao Pedro, who replaced George in the 61st minute, was sent off in the dying moments of the game after earning a second yellow card. Daniel Siebert made a hard decision, but their summer signing will now miss their forthcoming match against Ajax.
Despite only being at the club for about ten days, Mourinho’s Portuguese side put up a great fight against the reigning Club World Cup champions – but the 62-year-old was harsh on one player in particular, who he admitted was struggling before being substituted.
That was Malo Gusto, who began at right-back ahead of Reece James under the lights at Stamford Bridge. No certainly a polarising figure in the Chelsea echo chamber, the 22-year-old was substituted in the 80th minute by the aforementioned James, which Mourinho described as a blessing for Maresca and Co. He said:
“We saw Malo Gusto struggling, so Enzo Maresca replaced him with a better player. This is Chelsea, and Chelsea’s squad enables them to do so.”
According to statistics, the Frenchman, who is expected to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold at Liverpool in late 2024, had 49 touches on the ball. None of those got inside the Benfica box. Defensively, he was sharp: he made two tackles, the same number of interceptions, and twice as many recoveries.
However, Mourinho, a former Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur manager, was unimpressed by Gusto’s performance against Ukrainian winger Georgiy Sudakov. Gusto, who signed from Olympique Lyonnais in January 2023, has shared minutes with James following the latter’s comeback from injury.
In 2025/26 alone, the five-cap France international has appeared in all but one match – Chelsea’s 2-2 draw with Brentford – across all competitions, yet it’s apparent where he ranks in Maresca’s hierarchy. And that leaves James, who, when fit, is one of the best defenders in the world.
Maresca’s decision to choose Gusto over James may be due to what is ahead. This weekend, the west Londoners will face the Premier League’s reigning champions at home. The Chelsea management made a wise decision to rest the Englishman for at least the final ten minutes.
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