"They were helpful." Calum MacFarlane names FIVE players who helped him settle quickly after Maresca exit and were crucial to standout display against City.

 •Chelsea interim manager Calum MacFarlane has singled out three players for special praise after Manchester City draw. 

•The Chelsea boss names the group as helpful since taking over from Maresca and also singled out key players whose performance helped the Blues secure an equalizer against Manchester City. 

Chelsea salvaged a 1-1 draw against Manchester City in stoppage time in the Premier League.

Tijjani Reijnders opened the scoring, firing past Filip Jorgensen with his left foot to cap a dominant first-half display by the hosts.

Chelsea kept fighting and snatched a dramatic late equaliser, with Enzo Fernandez prodding the ball in from close range in the fourth minute of second-half stoppage time.

Interim boss McFarlane has praised Reece James for bringing the team together. At full time, Reece James was taking him to the fans and MacFarlane also singles Tosin Adarabioyo and Enzo Fernandez for their strong character:

"I didn't want to do that, to be honest, but Reece told me to. Some of them were shocked by the Enzo decision, so the character they have shown in the last few days. Reece is a big one. Reece, Tosin, Enzo, they have really dragged the team together. I can't speak highly enough of the group. That's another moment of Reece being selfless."(BobbyVincentFL)

MacFarlane also hailed Liam Delap and Andrey Santos for their performances against a top City side: 

“I also think Andrey Santos coming on at half-time and moving Enzo [Fernandez] up one [was important]. I thought Andrey was exceptional. I thought he really, really controlled the middle of the pitch.

“So I think in terms of in possession and out of possession, the shape change really helped us and the sub we made. And then I thought Liam [Delap] was a good sub as well. I thought Liam gave us a really good outlet to go a little bit more direct and occupy the centre-halves. But I think the most impressive thing is probably the players.

"1-0 down at the Etihad, interim manager, players falling ill on the day of the game, the day before the game, all the change. And for them to regroup and take that information on and execute it speaks volumes about the characters we have at this club.

“Young players in those moments, they may crumble — but I thought they were exceptional second half.”

Moving on,  Liam Rosenior is set to be the next Chelsea head coach, barring any last-minute issues.

Rosenior will meet the Chelsea sporting leadership team on Monday, with a view to replacing Enzo Maresca, who left Stamford Bridge on January 1.

Strasbourg president Marc Keller and sporting director David Weir are also flying to London for talks with BlueCo, who own Chelsea and the French club. They plan to interview replacements for Rosenior and have a final shortlist of three candidates.

Former Wolves and Bournemouth boss Gary O'Neil is on that shortlist, having been out of work since leaving Wolves in December 2024 after successfully keeping them in the Premier League the season before.

Chelsea want to move quickly and an appointment could be made in time for their game at Fulham on Wednesday, per Sky Sports.