Maresca insists he is committed to Chelsea despite 'worst 48 hours' comments

Enzo Maresca refused to expand on his cryptic post-match comments following Chelsea's win over Everton, but insists he is committed to the club.

On Saturday, the Blues earned a 2-0 win that ended a run of three Premier League games without a win, and four matches across all competitions.

It was also three points that moved Chelsea up to fourth in the table, eight points behind leaders Arsenal.

However, after the game, Maresca claimed "the last 48 hours have been the worst 48 hours since I joined the club because many people didn't support us".

Chelsea face Cardiff City in the EFL Cup quarter-finals on Tuesday, and ahead of the match, Maresca was questioned about those comments, saying the fans did not need an explanation.

"I already spoke about that, and I don't have nothing to add," he said in Monday's pre-match press conference.

"It's Cardiff tomorrow, please. I already spoke about that, and I think I was quite clear.

"We are in an era where everyone can say what they think. I respect people's opinions, your opinion, but I have nothing to add.

"My focus is on tomorrow's game and that we can achieve the third semi-final in 18 months since I joined the club.

"I said after the game that I love [the] Chelsea support. They deserve the best, and again I have nothing to add."

Asked whether he is happy as Chelsea head coach, he added: "Absolutely, yes."

Chelsea are five-time winners of the EFL Cup, most recently triumphing in 2014-15, though they have reached three finals since.

They are among the favourites to lift the trophy this year, with the Opta supercomputer giving them a 16% chance of winning the competition, with Arsenal (35%) and Manchester City (23%) the only teams with a higher likelihood.

Maresca's side have beaten Lincoln City and Wolves to reach the final eight, winning the latter 4-3 in dramatic fashion.

They now face League One leaders Cardiff, and the Italian has urged his side not to underestimate the threat that Brian Barry-Murphy's team pose.

"They are top of the league, they are playing nice football and winning games," Maresca said. "We need to pay attention, and we need to be careful because, again, we can achieve something important.

"These are the worst games. Football is full of these kinds of games where the favourite one, they can lose. That's why we need to pay attention. That's why the focus has to be on Cardiff.

"It is something we want to achieve [winning the EFL Cup] also for the fans. It's a club that, in all its history, especially the recent history, we win the Premier League, Champions League, these kinds of trophies.

"So that's why we need to try to do our best and again try to achieve a third semi-final [in 18 months]."

Maresca also confirmed Chelsea will be without Cole Palmer, as they continue to manage his minutes after his return from injury.