Chelsea outclassed Barcelona on Tuesday night and goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was keen to point out how Marc Cucurella comfortably contained the usually sensational Lamine Yamal
Marc Cucurella firmly had Lamine Yamal's number on a night to remember for Chelsea
Marc Cucurella firmly had Lamine Yamal's number on a night to remember for Chelsea
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Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez delivered a telling put-down on Lamine Yamal, claiming Marc Cucurella had him "in his pocket" after a quiet night for the Barcelona ace.
The Blues produced a stellar showing on Tuesday night, laying down their biggest marker of the season as they hammered the Spanish giants. Last term Barcelona made the semi-finals and were spearheaded by the talents of Yamal, who narrowly missed out on the Ballon d'Or.
They're expected to be in the latter stages again, but Chelsea underlined their own credentials with a 3-0 win. Yamal was largely nullified by Cucurella, his Spain team-mate, and Sanchez was happy to remind the teenage sensation of that at full-time.
The goalkeeper said after the win: “Cucurella has Lamine Yamal in his pocket”
Yamal, as well as the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres, struggled to have an impact with Chelsea on top for long periods. They pressed home their advantage in the second-half with Ronald Araujo receiving his marching orders just before half-time, when the Blues led 1-0.
Estevao Willian doubled the Chelsea lead with an impressive individual effort and Liam Delap made the game safe on 73 minutes. The striker has just returned from injury and finished a neat move, but was originally flagged offside, before VAR jumped in and showed it to be onside.
The Blues have won three of their five Champions League games and, after claiming Club World Cup glory in the summer, Sanchez believes they are the team to beat. He said: “Barca among the favourites to win the Champions League? No, I see us as favourites.”
Robert Sanchez claimed that Chelsea should be considered favourites to conquer Europe
Robert Sanchez claimed that Chelsea should be considered favourites to conquer Europe
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Chelsea, who jumped up to second in the Premier League off the back of the weekend's results, have their qualification hopes in their own hands in Europe and Enzo Maresca believes their continued success has taken the squad to another level.
"Winning the Club World Cup gave the players the confidence they need," he said. "Last year, we were playing in the Conference League and I said that if you want to build a winning mentality, there is only one way: by winning games. Otherwise, it’s difficult to convince the players you’re building a winning mentality.
"The Conference League and Club World Cup helped a lot. And now we are trying to do the same and, for sure, the players are better players compared to last season, because we have spent more time together."
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