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A frantic London derby built on instinct and emotion naturally propelled Marc Cucurella into the spotlight again. Enzo Maresca refuses to acknowledge Chelsea as title contenders, but for large spells, amid such intensity from Thomas Frank’s excellent Brentford, they thrived and eventually held on for a precious victory, cutting the gap to leaders Liverpool to just two points, with the Reds holding a game in hand.
But the Spaniard was the protagonist once again here. He was immense and involved in everything the Blues did well, including a diving header to break the deadlock on the stroke of half-time. But just as memories fade from his farcical slips at Tottenham, this dynamic display was given a late blemish as Cucurella earned a red card after the final whistle following a needless scuffle with Kevin Schade, meaning he will now miss next week’s game against Everton.
But before the late drama, Cucurella delivered more evidence of how he’s completely transformed both his own game and helped the Blues quickly establish themselves as title contenders under Maresca, no matter the Italian’s reluctance to accept it.
It was his perfectly timed sprint into the box and a glancing finish that broke this game open. But his industry before ensured the hosts retained their exhausting pace to eventually break down the Bees and claim a lead heading into the break.
This new role under Maresca sees Cucurella make the Blues tick in possession; the “left-back” is rarely in the conventional area of the pitch. Instead, the Spaniard could be seen here shuffling up the pitch and orchestrating attacks at every opportunity, creating a spare man to provide overloads to constantly manoeuvre Brentford around on Sunday night.
“He was top on the ball and off the ball. Fantastic, we’re happy with him and his performance tonight,” a delighted Maresca said afterward.
With Brentford so diligent out of possession and often seen man-marking, Maresca’s Chelsea relied on Cucurella to create overlaps, burst into space after every combination and even position himself close to centre-forward Nicolas Jackson, creating even more passing lanes once the Bees retreated.
Throughout the game, Cucurella flourished in three different positions; left-back, in midfield, creating a three with Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, and then in an advanced role right up alongside the Brentford back line, which proved decisive when Noni Madueke ducked inside to deliver that tantalising, in-swinging cross.
The goal epitomised his current impact on the team. From last season’s peripheral and, at times, error-prone involvement, his starring role here was more evidence that he has not only become valuable, but is now one of the Premier League’s most outstanding players.
Chelsea impressed with the ball, but Cucurella relished his duties without it, too, with his reaction each time the visitors pinched possession showcasing his furious recovery speed. He could be seen hounding Mads Roerslev when Brentford dared to play out from the back down their right side, restricting their bite on the break.
But if Cucurella’s skill and tactical intelligence have seen him prove to be vital to Maresca’s tactical plan, it is his personality that provides a nuisance to opposition, too. His theatrics after a late free-kick for the Bees earned a foul to drag the hosts closer to full-time, much to Frank’s annoyance.
“I think Cucurella is a top player,” Frank said. “He is doing well. But I don’t like it when players go to the ground and holding their face. I will say it to Cucurella because I respect him massively.”
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 near-post finish to beat Mark Flekken.
And that frantic finale, with Cucurella’s emotions spilling over after the final whistle, left Maresca disgruntled and reiterating his stance over Chelsea’s title credentials.
“I don’t think we’re ready to compete in the title, they know how to compete in 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.
“It’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’d like the pressure to compete. But we’re not ready, for many reasons, we cannot concede the goals we concede and open the game for them to take a point.”
