Chelsea secured an important 2-0 victory over Everton at Stamford Bridge in the 16th round of the English Premier League, thanks to goals from Cole Palmer and Malo Gusto.

In the post-match press conference, the Chelsea coach said: "I believe the win was very important. Everton had been in good form over the past week, so it was crucial for us to win today. I think we fully deserved the victory, and the effort the players put in was outstanding."

Mariska continued about Reece James's performance: "He has asked for more, he is improving more and more, and that is a good feeling for us because he is an important player for us."

He added about Cole Palmer: "I have said repeatedly that we are a better team with Palmer. I appreciate the players and the entire squad because we have played 16 Premier League matches, five of them without Moises Caicedo, 11 without Cole Palmer, and most of them without Liam Delap. This team, regardless of who plays, performs excellently."

And he continued about Malo Gusto’s performance and the rest of the players: "I want to commend Malo Gusto’s effort, and the other players, they have been amazing. Since I joined the club, the last 48 hours have been the worst since I arrived, because many did not support us. So I am very happy with the effort Malo and the rest of the players have put in, because they are all here and want to help the club."

He added, "I try to convince them that this is football, this is part of football, you have to be ready. I took full responsibility for the Leeds match; it was my mistake in the team lineup and the game plan. It wasn’t about the players. I believe we are making more and more progress, especially with all these situations we have been trying to manage since day one."