Chelsea asked transfer question over star labelled ‘embarrassing’ after Fulham defeat

Robin Bairner

• 26 Dec 2024 12:55 CST
• 3 min read

Chelsea suffered a shock 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge to Fulham that seriously compromises their Premier League title hopes.

Cole Palmer gave the Blues the lead with a quite brilliant solo goal, yet the Cottagers turned the game around in the second half via goals from Harry Wilson and Rodrigo Muniz.

It was far from Chelsea’s best performance of the season as they struggled to create chances, with their guests the more dangerous side.

Shortly before the opening of the January transfer window, it was also a stark reminder to Enzo Maresca that the squad is far from complete.

Although Marc Cucurella has silenced many of his critics with some fine performances this season, the left-back was the weak link as Chelsea lost to their London rivals.

Cucurella got a FootballCritic rating of just 5.8 against Fulham, which put him square as the worst player on the field.

The Spaniard notably lacked combativity. He won just one of his seven duels and failed to win either of his two aerial duels. Just 44 touches put him ranked below goalkeeper Robert Sanchez as Chelsea’s last involved player with the exception of Pedro Neto, while he also passed up a good headed chance in the first half.

After some strong performances this season, Cucurella is starting to face. He was sent-off in the 2-1 win over Brentford in mid-December, despite scoring that day, while he was dreadful against Tottenham in the 4-3 win, twice slipping to cost his side goals in an embarrassing display.

He started the season well, but is reverting to his worrying old ways just at the point where Maresca will be assessing his options ahead of the transfer window opening.

Cucurella vs Fulham in 6 stats

Carragher slams Cucurella’s ‘schoolboy errors’

Cucurella has found his position under scrutiny at Chelsea for months.

Jamie Carragher notably dismissed him as “embarrassing” following the Spurs victory.

“Cucurella’s coming to the bench, don’t blame anyone else — it’s your own fault son! Absolute schoolboy stuff. Embarrassing. He slips again,” the former England defender told Sky Sports.

This is starting to become a trend again for Cucurella, who might have been reliable early in the season but is now showing signs of why Chelsea had previously earmarked him to leave in the summer.