Maresca Makes Premier League History as City Survives Ipswich
Ayyoub Bouaddi earned his first start as Erling Haaland and Phil Foden scored in a narrow 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town.
Enzo Maresca won his seventh consecutive Premier League match in charge of Chelsea on Saturday, a streak no manager has ever opened with since the division’s 1992 rebranding. The 3-2 victory over Ipswich Town at Stamford Bridge required surviving a second-half surge that exposed lingering defensive vulnerabilities beneath the historic run.
Phil Foden ended a scoring drought stretching back to December 2025, striking in the 19th minute. Daizen Maeda erased it 120 seconds later. Erling Haaland restored the lead and doubled it shortly after the break. Zian Flemming converted a late penalty to force a tense finish.
Ayyoub Bouaddi anchored the midfield through those swings. The Moroccan teenager made his first top-flight start after three substitute appearances. He logged 92 touches, won seven ground duels, and completed seven line-breaking passes against an Ipswich side pressing aggressively out of possession.
“They put us in trouble in the second half,” Bouaddi said. “You have a bit of pressure. You don’t want them to score again.”
The assignment followed a midweek defeat to Paris Saint-Germain where the teenager impressed enough to earn the promotion. Maresca has leaned heavily on youth integration to sustain early-season momentum, a strategy that carried significant risk against a physical Portman Road squad unwilling to sit deep.
Chelsea’s perfect start now stands alone in Premier League record books. Previous managers who began their tenures with six straight wins—most recently Carlo Ancelotti in 2009—eventually dropped points before reaching seven. Maresca cleared that threshold while conceding twice to a newly promoted team.
Foden’s goal shifted attention back to his individual form following months without a league strike. “He’s a great player, important player for the team,” Bouaddi said when asked about the winger’s return to the scoresheet.
Haaland’s brace extended his own statistical dominance. The Norwegian forward has scored in each of Chelsea’s seven opening fixtures.
