Chelsea will donate a portion of their Club World Cup winnings to the family of late Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who both tragically died in a car accident last month.
"The message before the game was to make them understand that we are here to win the game," Maresca said.
Cole Palmer scored two goals and made another as Chelsea stunned Paris Saint-Germain in the final of the Club World Cup on Sunday, beating the European champions 3-0 at the MetLife Stadium to win the first edition of FIFA's new competition.
The 28-year-old Jota died alongside his younger brother André after their vehicle veered off a motorway in northern Spain before bursting into flames on Thursday.
The last time Chelsea won the Premier League was back in 2016-17. Since then, despite being in the fight for the crown on a few occasions, The Blues have struggled to find the killer instinct and have suffered from several setbacks centred around an unexpected change in ownership. Performance levels had also reached severe lows in the 2022-23 season and they ended up finishing 12th in the league.
Zola backed his compatriot to do well at Stamford Bridge but said that collecting silverware would be harder than ever.
It was a welcome win for Chelsea after suffering a 2-0 loss in Maresca's debut game against Manchester City at the weekend.
Chelsea are on the hunt for a new manager after parting company with Mauricio Pochettino.
If the decision lay with the fans, Gallagher would be going absolutely nowhere.
Manchester City were the second-highest spenders in the top flight.
Chelsea are ninth in the Premier League but just five points adrift of sixth-placed Manchester United with a game in hand.
Despite United's struggles, Chelsea boss Pochettino is adamant they remain a side to be feared.
Chelsea's players are struggling to find answers for their poor run of form this season, Raheem Sterling said, but the attacker maintained that the Premier League club can turn around their fortunes under the right manager.
Graham Potter earned his first win as Chelsea manager after Conor Gallagher returned to haunt Crystal Palace with the decisive goal in a 2-1 victory at Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang could make his debut for Chelsea in Tuesday's opening Champions League group game at Dinamo Zagreb despite suffering a fractured jaw during a home invasion.
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel said he understands defender Cesar Azpilicueta's desire to join Barcelona, but added that the Premier League club will not allow him to leave for a cut-price fee.
Cristiano Ronaldo faces an uncertain future after the Manchester United striker's attempt to force his way out of Old Trafford failed to spark the expected rush for his signature.
Raheem Sterling became Chelsea's first signing since Todd Boehly's consortium bought the club on Wednesday, ending his successful seven-year spell at Manchester City.
Chelsea are closing on the first major signing of the Todd Boehly era at Stamford Bridge after reportedly agreeing personal terms with Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling.
