London, October 25, 2025 — In Defeat, Marc Cucurella Burned Brightest
Chelsea’s 2–1 collapse to Sunderland left Stamford Bridge in stunned silence — but amid the wreckage, Marc Cucurella refused to sink with the ship. He didn’t score, didn’t assist, and won’t headline the highlights. Yet when captain Reece James was asked who kept Chelsea alive for 90 punishing minutes, he didn’t hesitate.
“He didn’t score, but he was everywhere,” James told Sky Sports in the tunnel, still dripping with sweat. “The way he pressed, moved, and linked play — that’s pure fire. That’s the energy we need every game.”
For a player once dismissed as a £62 million misfire, it was redemption in its rawest form.
Cucurella didn’t just hold the left flank — he commanded it.
Deployed as an inverted full-back in Enzo Maresca’s 3-box-3 system, he spent the first half drifting into central midfield to form a double pivot with Enzo Fernández, freeing Cole Palmer to dictate play higher up. When Sunderland countered, Cucurella sprinted 60 yards to cover for Josh Acheampong. When Chelsea attacked, he overlapped Alejandro Garnacho, underlapped Palmer, and even popped up on the right to combine with James.
He was omnipresent — literally.
Cucurella covered 12.8 kilometers, more than any other player, with 34 sprints above 25 km/h, 28 pressures, and 14 duels won from 17. He registered nine progressive carries, 12 passes into the final third, and seven tackles plus interceptions combined.
But the numbers only tell half the story.
In the 14th minute, he nutmegged Trai Hume with a cheeky back-heel before threading Garnacho into space, leading to Palmer’s shot tipped over by Anthony Patterson. In the 33rd, moments after Pedro’s blunder, Cucurella raced back to dispossess Wilson Isidor, then launched a 50-yard diagonal to Pedro Neto. By the 77th, chasing a winner, the left-back was challenging for headers in Sunderland’s box.
Even the opposition noticed.
“The left-back, number 3 — he never stopped running,” said Chemsdine Talbi, Sunderland’s match-winner. “Every time I thought I had space, he was there. Every time.”
Maresca, still reeling from the result and João Pedro’s fallout, didn’t mince words.
“Marc is our engine,” the manager said. “He presses like a forward, defends like a centre-back, passes like a midfielder. Today, he was the only one who gave 100% for 95 minutes. We need eleven Marcs.”
It’s been a remarkable turnaround for a player who once symbolized Chelsea’s chaos. Signed from Brighton in 2022 as a big-money project, Cucurella endured two turbulent seasons, injuries, and boos from his own fans. This year, he’s become indispensable.
James sees the change up close.
“People don’t see the work,” the captain said. “He’s in at 6 a.m. for recovery, stays late for extras, studies clips of Trippier, Walker, Cancelo. He’s obsessed. Tonight, he dragged us. When I looked left, he was there. When I looked right, he was there. That’s not luck — that’s hunger.”
One moment summed it up.
Eighty-ninth minute. 1–1. Sunderland break down the right. Cucurella — who’d started the move in the opposition box — sprints the length of the pitch, slides in perfectly to win the ball, and threads a one-touch pass to Palmer. The counter ends with Jamie Gittens heading just over. The crowd barely reacted, but the Chelsea bench erupted.
When the final whistle blew, Cucurella didn’t sulk. He walked to the away end, applauded Sunderland’s traveling support, then turned to the Matthew Harding Stand and thumped the badge on his chest. No theatrics — just respect.
On the team bus, Garnacho, still buzzing from his early goal, leaned across the aisle.
“Cucu, you’re a machine,” he grinned.
Cucurella laughed, drained but proud. “Next one, kid. We go again.”
In a night defined by frustration and failure, Marc Cucurella was the spark that refused to die — and Reece James saw it first.
