Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca maintained his squad are not ready to sustain a title challenge, pointing to their messy 2-1 win over Brentford that took them to within two points behind leaders Liverpool.
It was Chelsea's fifth successive league win, but the chaotic nature of securing the three points only reinforced Maresca's thinking that his side lack the experience to keep biting at the heels of Liverpool, who also have a game in hand on their rivals.
Marc Cucurella and Nicolas Jackson struck for the home side at Stamford Bridge before Bryan Mbeumo's 90th-minute goal sparked a nervy finale.
Spain international Cucurella was then sent off in stoppage time but the 10 men held on for victory.
"For me no matter how many games we win, there are things [that show] we're not ready to compete for the title in this moment. A team who knows how to win wouldn't concede that goal," said Maresca, who has repeatedly shot down the idea of challenging for the title in recent weeks.
“On 90 minutes, a throw-in for us and we concede a goal. A team that knows how to win titles, that goal they’re not to going to concede. It’s why I continue to say that we are not ready for titles.
“Even if you don’t believe me. I would love the pressure to compete for the title. But we cannot concede the goal we concede and open the game and give them the chance to take a point here.
"The fans, they can dream and think. But us inside as a club, as a squad, as players, as coaching staff, we need to be realistic.
"I said we have many things we can do better and this [the red card] is one of them."
Maresca was frustrated by Chelsea's inability to kill the game off earlier as they dominated the West London derby for long spells.
But it was an ideal weekend for his side as Liverpool and third-placed Arsenal both drew at home on Saturday, while defending champions Manchester City fell further off the pace with a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United.
"We were in control of the game except the last 10 minutes where we concede," added Maresca.
"We created chances. We could have scored more. We deserved to win the game."
Cucurella, who played much of the game in midfield and continued his remarkable rise to become one of Chelsea’s best players this season, was sent off after the final whistle, shown a second yellow card for confronting Brentford’s Kevin Schade, and will serve a one-game ban.
“The referee said the second yellow card was for bad attitude,” said Maresca. “I was with the coaching staff celebrating so I didn’t see anything."
Saints sack Martin after Spurs defeat
Southampton sacked manager Russell Martin shortly after his side's 5-0 drubbing at home to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday left them rooted to the bottom of the Premier League table.
The humiliating defeat, in which Spurs scored five times in the first half, left Southampton on five points from 16 matches.
Martin was the second Premier League manager sacked on Sunday after second-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers parted company with Gary O'Neil.
"The reality of our situation is clear. The board have supported Russell and his staff and been open and transparent regarding our expectations," a club statement read.
"We have all been on the same page in recognising the urgency of needing results to improve.
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank Russell and his staff for all the hard work and dedication they have given the club on and off the pitch over the last 18 months."
Martin, 38, was booed during his side's capitulation against Tottenham and missed the fifth goal as he had already gone to the changing rooms.
Martin was appointed in June 2023 and guided Southampton to promotion via the play-offs last season, earning plaudits for his side's attractive style of football.
This season, however, they have been brutally exposed in the top flight, losing 13 of their opening 16 games and seemingly on course for a quick return to the second tier.
Only one team in Premier League history has had fewer points after 16 games of the season.
After the defeat by Spurs, defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis said the players should take the blame.
"[The fans] want to see the team win, so it's normal. The booing should be on us players and not the manager. He's not creating the mistakes," Harwood-Bellis said.
Four Premier League managers have been sacked this season with Steve Cooper leaving Leicester City and Dutchman Erik ten Hag being dismissed by Manchester United.
James Maddison bagged a brace, opening the scoring after only 36 seconds, to give Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou a much-needed Premier League victory.
Spurs were winless in five ahead of this clash at St Mary’s and without nine players, but scored three times inside 14 minutes.
Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski struck in quick succession, with Pape Sarr able to grab a fourth in the 25th minute before Maddison added another in first-half stoppage-time.
It failed to stop Tottenham’s noisy away support repeatedly calling for chairman Daniel Levy to leave the club, but this result – on the club’s first return to Southampton since Antonio Conte’s extraordinary rant in 2023 – moved them within four points of fifth-placed Manchester City.
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Company profile
Name: One Good Thing
Founders: Bridgett Lau and Micheal Cooke
Based in: Dubai
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 5 employees
Stage: Looking for seed funding
Investors: Self-funded and seeking external investors
Mobile phone packages comparison
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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