Manchester United hero Wayne Rooney has hailed Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella for troubling Liverpool during the 1-1 draw on Saturday at Anfield. The Blues put an end to their woeful six-game losing streak in the Premier League after the result on Merseyside.
Ryan Gravenberch grabbed an early goal for the hosts to send the home crowd into a delirium of noise. The Dutchman latched onto a pass from Rio Ngumoha before unleashing a curling effort from just outside the penalty box.
The Reds allowed Chelsea to get back into the game and Cucurella made several runs in behind their defence to ask questions of the home side. Even though Enzo Fernandez found the equaliser, Cucurella was arguably the visitors' best threat going forward.
Shortly after the restart in the second half, Chelsea also had a goal disallowed as Cucurella was adjudged to have made his run slightly early in the build-up to Cole Palmer finding the back of the net.
The Spaniard's impressive performance did not go unnoticed as Rooney singled him out for special praise after the game.
Speaking on BBC Sport (h/t Metro UK), Rooney commented:
"I thought Liverpool actually started quite well, got the goal, and then from there Chelsea were the better team."
"They caused Liverpool big problems, especially Marc Cucurella running behind."
Rooney also spoke about how the Liverpool fans were quite vocal about expressing their dissatisfaction. He pointed to the lack of success, despite the heavy spending this season, as the main reason for it.
The Englishman added:
"The crowd were obviously a bit edgy, which you very rarely get from Liverpool fans. You never like to see that, but it comes from not having the season they hoped for, and after spending a lot of money."
Chelsea are still 10 points behind fourth-placed Liverpool in the Premier League table. At the time of writing, the sixth Champions League spot for an English club is not confirmed and as such, the Blues are nine points adrift of the last qualification berth, which is fifth-place.
Chelsea prepare to face Manchester City in FA Cup final next week
Calum McFarlane will now shift his focus to Wembley, where his team lock horns with Manchester City next Saturday. Pep Guardiola's team beat Brentford 3-0 earlier today, thanks to goals from Jeremy Doku, Erling Haaland and Omar Marmoush.
The Blues are not favorites to win the FA Cup but will hope to put up a stern challenge for City. Notably, Manchester City are playing in their fourth successive FA Cup final.