Enzo Maresca explains James and Lavia substitutions

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has revealed that he had pre-planned the substitutions of Reece James and Romeo Lavia against Liverpool.

The Blues suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss to the Reds on the road on Sunday. James and Lavia made surprise starts after returning from injuries, but they were both substituted in the 53th minute.

When pressed on the decision, Maresca said that the duo were unlikely to feature for more than an hour after their recent injury lay-offs, he said: "For James and Romeo, it was an hour maximum."

Chelsea missed the chance to move to third in the table with a victory over the Reds. They are now sixth in the standings with 14 points, three behind the top four and seven adrift of table-toppers Liverpool.

The Blues take on Panathinaikos in the Conference League on Thursday night before welcoming Newcastle United to Stamford Bridge for the Premier League encounter on Sunday afternoon.

Chelsea will face the Magpies soon after in the Carabao Cup fourth round.