A frantic London derby, built on instinct and emotion, naturally propelled Marc Cucurella to the forefront. Enzo Maresca refuses to recognize Chelsea as title contenders, but for long periods, amid such intensity from Thomas Frank’s excellent Brentford, they thrived and eventually held on for a valuable victory, closing the gap with leaders Liverpool just two points behind, with the Reds holding on. a game in hand.
But the Spaniard was once again the protagonist. He was immense and involved in everything the Blues did well, including a diving header to break the deadlock just before half-time. But as memories fade of his farcical errors at Tottenham, this dynamic display received a late blemish as Cucurella was shown a red card after the final whistle following an unnecessary scuffle with Kevin Schade, meaning that he will now miss next week’s match against Everton.
But before the late drama, Cucurella provided more evidence of how he has completely transformed his own game and helped the Blues quickly establish themselves as title contenders under Maresca, regardless of the Italian’s reluctance to accept it.
It was his perfectly timed sprint into the box and a lightning finish that broke this game open. But his earlier industry allowed the hosts to maintain their grueling pace to eventually break the Bees and take the lead before the break.
This new role under Maresca sees Cucurella give the Blues possession; the left back is rarely found in the conventional area of the pitch. Instead, the Spaniard could be seen here churning up the pitch and orchestrating attacks at every opportunity, creating a spare man to provide overloads to constantly outmaneuver Brentford on Sunday evening.
“He was great on and off the ball. Fantastic, we are happy with him and his performance tonight,” said a delighted Maresca.
With Brentford so diligent out of possession and often seen scoring, Maresca’s Chelsea relied on Cucurella to create overlaps, burst into space after every combination and even position himself close to center forward Nicolas Jackson, creating even more passing lanes once the Bees pulled away. .
Throughout the match, Cucurella thrived in three different positions; left back, in midfield, creating a three with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, then in an advanced role alongside the Brentford backline, which proved decisive when Noni Madueke ducked inside to deliver this attractive and incoming center.
This goal embodies his current impact on the team. From his peripheral and sometimes error-prone involvement last season, his starring role here was further proof that he has not only become valuable, but is now one of the Premier League’s standout players.
Chelsea impressed with the ball, but Cucurella also relished his duties without it, with his reaction every time the visitors pinched possession demonstrating his furious recovery speed. He could be seen tracking down Mads Roerslev when Brentford dared to play out from the back on their right side, limiting their bite on the break.
But while Cucurella’s skills and tactical intelligence have proven vital to Maresca’s tactical plan, it is also his personality that also poses a nuisance to the opposition. His theatrics after a late free-kick for the Bees earned a foul to bring the hosts closer to full-time, much to Frank’s chagrin.
“I think Cucurella is a top player,” Frank said. “He’s fine. But I don’t like it when players go to the ground and hold their faces. I will tell Cucurella because I respect him enormously.
Brentford’s resilience saw them threaten to snatch an unlikely point after Bryan Mbeumo’s late strike in response to Jackson’s surge and clinical finish at the near post to beat Mark Flekken.
And that frantic finale, with Cucurella’s emotions boiling over after the final whistle, left Maresca unhappy and reiterated his stance on Chelsea’s qualification for the title.
“I don’t think we are ready to compete for the title, they know how to compete for the title, they won’t concede the goals we concede,” Maresca said. “I think they know how to win titles, that’s why they don’t concede any.
“That’s one of the reasons why I say we’re not ready to win titles. If you don’t believe me, I told you, I would love the pressure to compete. But we are not ready, for many reasons we cannot concede the goals we concede and open the game for them to take a point.