Chelsea's coach was sent off for celebrating like Mourinho

One of the standout moments of the latest Premier League round was Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca’s dismissal following a passionate celebration that echoed the legendary style of Jose Mourinho.

In the high-stakes match against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea went through an intense 90 minutes. The hosts took the lead with a beautiful long-range strike by Moises Caicedo, before Cody Gakpo leveled for Liverpool. Just when it seemed the teams would share points, in the 95th minute, the young Brazilian prospect Willian Estevao, aged only 18, emerged as the hero with a decisive goal that secured a thrilling 2-1 win for The Blues.

That moment ignited the entire stadium. Estevao celebrated by sliding on his knees in the corner, teammates swarmed to join him, and coach Enzo Maresca couldn’t hold back his excitement. Broadcast footage showed the Italian coach running along the sideline to celebrate with his players, raising his fist towards the Stamford Bridge crowd — a scene that immediately reminded fans of Jose Mourinho in 2004 when he sprinted down Old Trafford to celebrate Porto’s goal against Manchester United.

However, Maresca’s happiness was short-lived. Having previously received a yellow card for protesting a VAR decision, referee Anthony Taylor gave him a second yellow, which meant he had to leave the technical area. This was Chelsea’s fourth red card in their last five games, following Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah, and Joao Pedro.

Nonetheless, the victory over Liverpool was hugely important for Maresca and his squad. The win propelled Chelsea up to sixth place, ending a poor run after their defeat to Brighton in the previous round. Meanwhile, Liverpool suffered their third consecutive loss and lost the top position to Arsenal, who defeated West Ham 2-0.

Speaking on Sky Sports, former striker Daniel Sturridge commented: "You can see the emotional surge at Chelsea — not just among the players but throughout the coaching staff. Maresca has been under significant pressure after a difficult start, and this goal might be a morale boost for the whole team."

Even Gary Neville, witnessing Maresca’s dismissal, joked live on air: "He won’t mind at all. Getting sent off for a celebration like that — totally deserved."

Interestingly, just a few days earlier, Jose Mourinho — now leading Benfica — returned to Stamford Bridge for a Champions League match and was cheered by Chelsea supporters three times. "Chelsea is part of my history, and I am part of theirs," Mourinho said after the match.