Wayne Rooney was full of praise for Marc Cucurella following Chelsea’s win against Barcelona on Tuesday night at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues turned in one of their best performances under Enzo Maresca as they put the Spanish champions to the sword in a 3-0 win.
A Jules Kounde own goal gave Chelsea the lead, before Estevao doubled the it with a superb goal, and Liam Delap completed the scoring.
Wayne Rooney impressed by Marc Cucurella
The win moved Chelsea up into fifth in the Champions League standings, with the top eight automatically qualifying for the last 16.
It’s now four wins and four clean sheets in a row for Maresca’s men, who host Arsenal in a huge clash on Sunday afternoon.
Marc Cucurella in action against Barcelona.
Cucurella dealt superbly with Yamal. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Every Chelsea player can be proud of their performance, and Estevao is rightly taking the headlines for his performance, but Cucurella was also brilliant.
The Spain international dealt with Lamine Yamal brilliantly, and Rooney believes Cucurella deserves a lot of credit for that.
“Cucurella was absolutely incredible,” he told Amazon Prime as quoted on X.com.
“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 was named Uefa man of the match, and he will have another vital role to play against league leaders Arsenal.
Fabrizio Romano confirms improved contract has been signed
After struggling in his first season at the club, Cucurella has established himself as a fan favourite and one of Chelsea’s most important players.
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The 27-year-old is a key part of the defence, and there had been reports he’d signed a improved contract as a reward for his performances, but there’s been no official confirmation from the club on this.
However, Fabrizio Romano has again reiterated Cucurella signed an improved contract back in August, and the Spaniard is currently under contract until 2028.