Chelsea: Marc Cucurella's defending for Arsenal goal was comical

In partnership with

GiveMeSport

·6 November 2022

Chelsea: Marc Cucurella's defending for Arsenal goal was comical

Chelsea have lost back-to-back Premier League games for the first time in two years.

Under Thomas Tuchel, the Blues never tasted defeat in consecutive Premier League fixtures, which was quite an impressive record.

OneFootball Videos

But Graham Potter couldn’t keep it up for very long after arriving at Stamford Bridge from Brighton & Hove Albion.

After suffering a 4-1 loss on his return to the Amex last weekend, Potter had to watch on as Chelsea lost 1-0 against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

Gabriel Magalhaes scored the only goal of the game and overall, it was a thoroughly deserved victory for the Gunners.

Mikel Arteta’s side were superior in every department and it’s a minor miracle that Chelsea only lost by a one-goal margin.

Marc Cucurella – who came in to the side as a replacement for the injured Ben Chilwell – was actually one of the Blues’ better performers on the day, although his defending for Arsenal’s goal was like something out of a comedy sketch.

What did Cucurella do for Arsenal’s goal?

The visitors’ goal came about in rather bizarre circumstances. Bukayo Saka’s poor corner kick somehow found its way through a crowd of players at the near post and then Gabriel provided the finishing touch.

There were a number of Chelsea players at fault, Cucurella in particular.

Instead of going for the ball, the Spaniard simply stood there and kept ahold of Granit Xhaka.

And due to the fact he was giving the Arsenal midfielder a good ol’ cuddle by the penalty spot, Cucurella could only watch on as Gabriel rifled the ball into the roof of the net from a yard out.

Check out footage of Cucurella’s laughable attempt at trying to thwart Arsenal…

Video: Cucurella’s defending for Gabriel’s goal

What on earth are you doing, Marc?!

Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher picked up on Cucurella’s bizarre actions inside the penalty area and dropped a brilliant tweet assessing it.

He wrote on the social media platform: “At least Cucurella can say his man didn’t score! #CHEARS.”

Well, you’re certainly right there Jamie. Although that certainly won’t be a silver lining for Potter or the suffering Chelsea fans…

Where do Chelsea go from here?

Chelsea’s latest Premier League defeat means they’re now 13 points behind Arsenal and face a serious battle to finish in the top four.

The Qatar World Cup winter break could perhaps be coming at a perfect time for Potter, though.

He will have over a month to work with various players who aren’t travelling to the tournament, which could prove hugely beneficial for the second half of the campaign.

Because right now, Chelsea don’t look like a team capable of qualifying for next season’s Champions League…