Chelsea dealt blow as key player given red card in 2-1 win over Brentford

Chelsea claimed their seventh successive win across all competitions with a 2-1 win over Brentford in the Premier League on Sunday (December 15). However, they were also dealt a massive blow with the defender Marc Cucurella being shown the red card during the clash.

Cucurella was arguably the top performer for the Blues on his return to the playing XI after resting for the midweek trip to Kazakhstan. The 26-year-old delivered a quality performance scoring the first goal in the 43rd minute, also his first for the club in the Premier League. Having played the left-back right through his career and since joining Chelsea in the 2022-23 season, the Spanish footballer netted his first goal in the 60th appearance for the Blues. 

Cucurella was shown the yellow card first in the 95th minute after a lunge on Fabio Carvalho. His second booking came at the stroke of the final whistle for shoving the opponent’s forward Kevin Schade. The pair got aggressive towards each other after the tackle and the referee Peter Bankes showed them yellow cards. Having already been booked a few minutes earlier, the second yellow card was converted into a red card before being eventually sent off.

When will Chelsea next play?

Chelsea are next scheduled to play Everton at Goodison Park on December 22 but they will be without Marc Cucurella. The Spaniard has started in 13 out of 15 Premier League matches this season. He missed a league game, a 1-2 defeat to Liverpool in October due to suspension.

Meanwhile, the latest win over Brentford has put Chelsea in a strong position to overtake the league leaders Liverpool. The Blues have now 34 points, only two fewer than Liverpool, after 16 matches with 10 wins, four draws, and two losses. 

Coming back to Chelsea’s win over Brentford, they finally managed to break the duck. This was the first-ever win for them over the Bees at Stamford Bridge in Premier League history. Enzo Maresca and his team are very close to climbing to the top spot. Even though Liverpool have an extra game in hand, their form of late hasn’t been great.