Barcelona had scored in 53 successive matches before being shut out by Chelsea
Chelsea players celebrate victory in the dressing roomopen image in gallery
Chelsea players celebrate victory in the dressing room (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
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Wayne Rooney labelled Marc Cucurella’s player-of-the-match performance against Barcelona one of the best left-back performances “for a very long time” after Chelsea earned a 3-0 win in the Champions League clash.
Cucurella went head to head with his Spanish teammate Lamine Yamal as the senior player dominated his exchanges with Barcelona’s 18-year-old prodigy, winning numerous one-on-one battles.
Yamal was eventually substituted and cut a frustrated figure as he watched Barca – who had defender Ronald Araujo sent off in the first half – succumb to a chastening defeat at Stamford Bridge.
Afterwards Rooney heaped praise on Chelsea’s full-back, telling Amazon Prime Video: “Cucurella was absolutely incredible. I think it’s probably the best performance I have seen from a left-back for a very long time. To do that tonight, what he did, that shows he’s a serious player.”
Cucurella is fouled by Ronald Araujoopen image in gallery
Cucurella is fouled by Ronald Araujo (Chelsea FC via Getty Images)
Cucurella hailed his teammates for helping him to keep Barcelona’s key player quiet.
“We played really well and deserved the result from the beginning of the game, with our attitude and high pressing,” he said. “We had the passion to make some key passes and not lose the ball. We are good players so we scored our chances.
"The game plan was really clear. We executed it really well so it wasn't just about my performance, my team-mates helped out a lot. They always try to give me help, football is a game of 11 players against 11 players. We all try to do our best for the team and for the win.
"I'm feeling very proud personally. As a footballer, we have our ups and downs but the most important thing is staying consistent, trying to always improve and remembering that you have sacrificed a lot of things. After performances like this, everything makes sense."
Barcelona had scored in 53 successive matches before being shut out by Chelsea.
“It's amazing,” Cucurella added. “Over the last couple of games, we have improved a bit in defence and started to get some clean sheets. The team has gained some confidence from that and we need to continue in this way now."