Marc Cucurella received a second yellow card after the final whistle of Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Brentford on Sunday, making for an eventful evening for the full-back.
The Spaniard scored the opening goal at 43 minutes, with Nicolas Jackson adding a second before Bryan Mbeumo scored a late consolation for the Bees.
The 90th-minute goal by Mbeumo wasn’t the end of the drama, as Cucurella received his first yellow card for a foul on Fabio Carvalho during injury time. ..Continue Reading
After the final whistle, a confrontation erupted between players, with Cucurella and Brentford’s Kevin Schade exchanging heated words.
Cucurella then pushed Schade, prompting the assistant referee to intervene.
Referee Peter Bankes disapproved of Cucurella’s actions and issued a second yellow card, followed by a red.
Despite the frustrating end for Cucurella and Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, it was a positive day overall for the Blues. The win brings Chelsea within two points of league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.
Jackson expressed satisfaction with the team’s form and the positive influence of their impressive manager.
‘Very big win. Not an easy game. They’re a difficult side to play against,’ said the 23-year-old. ‘It was difficult because they always play set-pieces. But we won. I’m very happy.
‘Listen to the manager, respect the plan and we did that. It was more difficult at the end because they wanted to score again.
‘We’re getting to know each other better. Last year is finished, now we’re concentrating on this year.
‘I missed that one but I was thinking I’ll get another one and try to score to help the team win. I did exactly that. It’s all about getting more experience. I’m getting more confident.
‘We’re just trying to win every game and focus on the next one. I don’t look at the table.’
Maresca told BBC Sport: ‘We were in control of the game except the last 10 minutes where we concede. It’s normal. We created chances. We could have scored more. We deserved to win the game.’
