- Maresca has taken a bizarre silver lining from Chelsea's defeat at Brighton
- Chelsea threw away a lead to lose 2-1 and exit the FA Cup in the fourth round
- LISTEN NOW: It's All Kicking Off! Does the Premier League REALLY need to look at goal celebrations?
Chelsea fans were far from happy with Enzo Maresca's reaction after his side were dumped out of the FA Cup by Brighton.
After being gifted an early lead thanks to a howler by Bart Verbruggen, Chelsea threw away their advantage over the course of the game, with goals from Georginio Rutter and Kaoru Mitoma flipping the contest on its head.
An inability to finish their chances proved decisive for the Blues, losing 2-1 on the night to end their hopes of FA Cup glory at the fourth round stage.
But instead of lamenting an obvious setback in their season, manager Maresca opted to focus on the positives, insisting that Chelsea's hunt for silverware isn't over.
'Being out of the FA Cup, it's a shame,' he said. 'No doubt.'
'If there is something positive, we can be focused on the Premier League and the Conference League. Hopefully we can continue our journey there.'
Enzo Maresca claimed his side can focus on the league and Conference League after the loss
Brighton came from behind to beat Chelsea 2-1 to progress to the last 16 of the FA Cup
His response to a gut-wrenching defeat was not taken well by Blues fans, who have since taken to social media to lambast Maresca for what they perceive as a losing mentality.
One supporter wrote: 'Imagine Mourinho, Conte or Tuchel saying something like this.'
Another fan said: 'Another gem from Il Gibberishio, “If there is something good after losing a leg, it is that we can focus on being really excellent at hopping."'
The Chelsea faithful could hardly believe that Maresca had resorted to claiming increased focus on the Europa Conference League was a positive of Saturday's exit, with the Blues' FA Cup drought now set to extend into its ninth year.
Reflecting on Chelsea sides that contended for Premier League and Champions League honours, a fan added: 'Flexing the Conference League? We've fallen off so much.'
Another said: 'This isn't what Chelsea is about. Small club mentality drilled in from the top to the bottom and it shows on the pitch.'
The defeat has even led some fans to lose faith in the Italian, with their fury at the performance further fuelled by Maresca's painfully optimistic comments post-match.
One fan wrote: 'Sometimes it’s better to say “no comment” or you get yourself sentenced. Ridiculous s**t to say this is Chelsea at least by name not by actions.'
Chelsea will get a chance to avenge this loss as they return to Brighton in the league on Friday
Remarkably, those who may previously have been onside with the Blues boss were also hinting at a possible dismissal, with another saying: 'I don't hate Maresca but that is a fireable statement for a Chelsea manager.'
An early cup exit at the Amex Stadium has left Chelsea's season in a state of limbo, relying on success in the Conference League and Champions League qualification to take any real positives from the campaign.
But with Manchester City back in the swing of things and Nottingham Forest showing no signs of stumbling in their sensational push for Champions League, Maresca's side need to find form again if they are to return to European football's top table.
They'll look to bounce back as they play Brighton again on Friday, looking for revenge in the Premier League to get their season back on track.
