Maresca, 45, made the interesting decision to rest both Palmer and Jackson after they played in the 1-0 win over Tottenham in midweek.
The two game on for the second half as Chelsea failed to breakdown Brentford in their frustrating 0-0 draw.
Speaking in his press conference after the game, Maresca was adamant his plan ‘nearly worked’ as they dropped vital points in the race for Champions League qualification.
Maresca said: "I think we shot more than 20 times, the only thing we missed was a goal but overall it's a good performance.
“We played Thursday night, so the idea was to start the game in one way and finish in another way. I think the plan nearly worked. We just missed the goal.
"I think overall we played a good game. We prepared the game in the way the game was, in terms of starting one way and finishing the other way.
“We played Thursday night, demanding game, 24 hours less than them. Tricky stadium, tricky game. Sunny day, the pitch was dry.
“They tried to kill the tempo of the game, so for me it was a complete game. But overall, as I said, I think we did enough to win the game. We shot more than 20 times and probably the only thing we missed has been the goal, but overall happy with the performance."