'Very good' - Enzo Maresca impressed by Chelsea star's decisive display in Benfica win | OneFootball

Enzo Maresca has praised Chelsea winger Alejandro Garnacho for his strong display in Tuesday's Champions League 1-0 win over Benfica.

It was only Garnacho's second start for Chelsea, and his first game in front of the Stamford Bridge crowd.

Once again, Maresca gave the 21-year-old the opportunity to play in his preferred left winger role, and while it was not perfect, it still paid off.

It was Garnacho's movement and cutback that led to Benfica midfielder Richard Rios' own goal. It proved decisive in the game.

After the game, Maresca did not only highlight the winger's offensive contribution, but also his effort in regaining the ball for the team.

IMAGO / Sportimage

"Not only on the ball, defensively he was very good... the way he pressed," the Italian told TNT Sports when speaking about Garnacho's display.

"In the last third, he (had) the freedom to go one-on-one when he decided to, and arrive in the box because it's important. Because it's from there that we score goals."

Unfortunately, Garnacho had a hard time getting past defenders in this match, with his only dribble attempt ending in a failure.

It was not only the Argentina international, however. Pedro Neto also struggled in this area, with just one of his three dribble attempts being successful.

IMAGO / Prime Sports Images

Still, it is good to hear that Maresca is not afraid to let his wingers make riskier decisions in the final third.

Defensively, Garnacho made one tackle and four recoveries, as well as winning three of the five duels he had in the 61 minutes he was on the pitch.

Given his performance, it is likely that the former Manchester United man will keep his post in the starting line-up against Liverpool on Saturday.

Cole Palmer's absence means one of Pedro Neto or Estevao will likely play on the right, so unless these two both started, Garnacho would arguably be the obvious choice ahead of Jamie Gittens on the left.