And just a few days later, he found himself out of work.
Maresca skipped his post-match press conference after the 2-2 draw earlier this week, claiming he was too ill.
His assistant, Willy Caballero, stepped in to address the media instead.
However, it later emerged that he was not unwell and the excuse was just a smokescreen.
A source has now informed The Athletic that Maresca quickly got changed at full-time and left without saying a word to his players, having already decided that he was going to quit his job as head coach.
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The move also proved to be the final straw for Chelsea bosses.
Players were not aware of the situation completely until they were informed that a recovery session scheduled for Wednesday was cancelled, giving them an extra day off.
Talks between Maresca’s agent, Jorge Mendes, and Chelsea officials took place on New Year’s Eve and his departure was formally announced the following morning.
A club statement read: “Chelsea Football Club and Head Coach Enzo Maresca have parted company.
“During his time at the Club, Enzo led the team to success in the UEFA Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup. Those achievements will remain an important part of the Club’s recent history, and we thank him for his contributions to the Club.
“With key objectives still to play for across four competitions including qualification for Champions League football, Enzo and the Club believe a change gives the team the best chance of getting the season back on track.
“We wish Enzo well for the future.”
U21s head coach Calum McFarlane has stepped in to replace Maresca on a temporary basis for the club’s Premier League clash with Manchester City on Sunday.
In his pre-match press conference, he said: “It’s been a crazy 24 hours, a whirlwind as you can imagine, but it’s also been really enjoyable and exciting.
“I can only be positive about it. We don’t know what the future beyond this game is but right now, the brief is just to prepare the lads for Man City on Sunday. That’s all I’m focused on.
“We will go there looking to give a good account of ourselves and trying to obtain a good result. That’s the brief and that’s what we are working on.
“Of course, we know will be facing a good team, in good form and led by a great manager. But we have good players too and we will be going into the game being as positive as possible.”