Chelsea clung onto a 2-0 victory against Fulham after a shaky start to stay in the hunt for the top spots in the table. Joao Pedro put the hosts into the lead at Stamford Bridge on the verge of half time, and Enzo Fernandez doubled the advantage with a penalty before the hour was over.
Here are four things we learned from the latest edition of this West London derby.
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The Club World Cup is taking its toll
Maresca made clear he was not sure how the squad would fare at the start of the season after playing until the middle of July in the Club World Cup. It has not taken long for him to make up his mind.
The Blues had two preseason friendlies before the beginning of the Premier League, beating Bayer Leverkusen 2-0 and AC Milan 4-1. The target was to build on momentum from the month before.
But the players are human, and bodies need rest. Maresca might have had it in mind to limp through the first few matches of the campaign and sharpen the fitness of the group in the international break.
Now that option is being taken away from some of his pivotal players. Before a ball was kicked in the English top tier, Levi Colwill suffered an ACL injury in training that rules him out for some months.
Cole Palmer pulled up with a niggle in the warm-up against West Ham, and he will not be part of the England camp next week. Then came another dagger within fifteen minutes of the first whistle.
Liam Delap pulled up with a hamstring injury that could keep him on the sidelines for six weeks.
Now that Christopher Nkunku has signed for AC Milan, the question remains whether Nicolas Jackson joins Bayern Munich on loan. The stance of the club will be clear, but the forward is well within his rights to feel aggrieved at being cut from the plans and may not want to return to the team.
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Lady luck lies with the Blues
If injuries are going against Chelsea, then officials are doing their best job to even out the luck.
On opening matchday, the Blues had little to no idea about how to break down the deep, disciplined 5-2-3 block of Crystal Palace. To make matters worse, Moises Caicedo was often on an island in the transition, and the Eagles had enough openings to make Chelsea fear about keeping their clean sheet.
Indeed, they briefly went 1-0 up with a free kick for Eberechi Eze. However, VAR deemed that Marc Guehi had pushed Caicedo into the Chelsea wall, illegally interfering in the play. Similar incidents have not caught the attention of the officials in the past, but the hosts were fortunate on this occasion.
In this case, the outrage against Chelsea certainly owes something to the flow of the game. Fulham were chasing a second successive win at Stamford Bridge and brought their best to the table.
Joshua King chopped away from Tosin Adarabioyo to score, but a stamp on Trevoh Chalobah from Rodrigo Muniz meant there would be no first Premier League goal for the teenager to celebrate. No doubt that there was contact from the striker, but the foot of the Brazilian had to land somewhere.
If that was not enough, Ryan Sessegnon saw his handball flagged up in the box for a penalty. His arm was stretched, but the position was not entirely 'unnatural', and anger was not entirely unjustified.
A time will come when Chelsea can complain about officiating, but for now, it is going their way.
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Enzo Fernandez feels the full range of emotions
Enzo arrived in West London with a reputation for technical mastery and a desire from fans to see him constantly on the ball. However, over time, his best role has emerged as a box crasher, getting off the mark in such fashion against West Ham, and his latest display demonstrated why it is the case.
In the rough and tumble of the midfield of a Premier League clash, the Argentine can lose a grip on affairs. Excellence on the ball is not enough: without defensive discipline, most sides will punish you.
Joshua King grew in confidence as the half went on, with his mobility and intelligence running riot for Fulham. Caicedo clocked up his customary yellow card chasing the number ten and had to commit an excellent challenge down Enzo's channel to stop a surefire goal for Timothy Castagne.
Even on the ball, Enzo was below par: two massive moments in transition bypassed him with a lack of sharpness on the ball. It would not have been unreasonable for the manager to hook him at half time.
However, when the moments mattered, he made a difference. After a corner came close to breaking the deadlock through Tosin Adarabioyo, he picked out Joao Pedrofrom a set-piece to score a header. Then, he converted an effort from the penalty spot, and the Blues had a buffer zone.
For a nine figure fee, Chelsea could have hoped for a more commanding presence in the middle of the park to ease the burden on Caicedo. But Maresca has made every attempt to get the best out of a mercurial figure, who has his bursts of magic, and the captain comes away with positive headlines.
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The Brazilian boys bring quality
Without Palmer in the picture, the Brazilian boys are bringing stardust to the show in the final third.
Estevao earned a starting spot for the second game in a row. There is a duty of care to protect the 18-year-old, who himself played in the Club World Cup for Fluminense and is adapting to the pace and power of the English game. However, he continues to be one of the team's brightest sparks on the ball.
While Pedro Neto can frustrate with his lack of final third output and Jamie Gittens still looks like a project player, the teenager more clearly hits the fundamentals required to be a top level wide threat.
Twice in the first half, he showed his speed and agility on the ball to breeze beyond Calvin Bassey. There were some attempts to combine with Malo Gusto on the right wing, and the teenager also appeared on the left flank before he eventually came off the field midway through the second half.
Meanwhile, Joao Pedro continues to kick on from his exploits in the Club World Cup last month.
He could have wrapped up the three points after he broke through 1 v 1 against Bernd Leno, but the forward got the scoring started on the stroke of half time and cleared a Fulham effort off his goal line.
His measured ball handling to ride challenges and flexibility across the frontline continue to be an invaluable tool. For the sake of the squad, he must stay as fit as possible in what will be a testing time.
