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.
Chelsea playmaker Eden Hazard believes the club are inching ever closer towards the Premier League title but remains wary of getting too carried away as there are still plenty of points up for grabs.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte got the upper hand on Jose Mourinho for the second time this season as his double-chasing side beat 10-man Manchester United 1-0 at Stamford Bridge to reach the FA Cup semi-finals on Monday.
Chelsea brushed aside London rivals West Ham United with a 2-1 away win that restored their 10-point lead at the top of the Premier League on Monday.
Cesc Fabregas is not one to shy away from a challenge and the Chelsea midfielder says he will bank on his experience to nail down a first team spot after making his 300th Premier League appearances in Saturday's 3-1 win over Swansea City.
Diego Costa has been dropped from the squad of Premier League leaders Chelsea for the match at champions Leicester City after a row over his fitness, according to media reports on Friday.
Antonio Conte has dismissed complaints of his rival managers over Chelsea getting a longer rest during the festive period and said they are angered by his side's position at the top of the Premier League table.
