lost his footing while trying to shepherd an Arsenal pass out of play, accidentally handling the ball as he fell.
Under pressure from Arsenal players, the ball ricocheted unpredictably around the Chelsea box, creating a moment of chaos.
Eventually, Robert Sanchez managed to secure the ball, easing the tension, though Leandro Trossard and Mikel Merino were left lamenting a missed chance and called for a penalty.
However, the Match Centre explained that Cucurella’s hand did not intentionally move toward the ball, and the contact was purely accidental.
They wrote: “The referee’s call of no penalty for handball by Cucurella was checked and confirmed by VAR – with his arm deemed to be in an expected position with no clear or deliberate action towards the ball.”
Chelsea’s defensive issues persisted with Sanchez, returning to the starting XI in place of Filip Jorgensen, struggling to distribute the ball effectively and inadvertently fueling Arsenal’s pressing game.
The relentless pressure paid off in the 20th minute, as Merino capitalized on Martin Odegaard’s corner, nodding a header from the near post that looped over Sanchez into the net.
Without the presence of their key player, Cole Palmer, Chelsea found themselves struggling early in the match.
Palmer was sidelined due to an injury sustained during his substitute appearance against Copenhagen in the UEFA Conference League, an injury that could also see him miss the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
“He had last week a problem and unfortunately yesterday he had a very small problem [in training],” Maresca told Sky Sports. “We think that probably after the international break he can be back with us.
“He had an injury yesterday during the session. It was a very light session, that’s why we think it’s nothing important. We still need to wait, but the feeling is that he will be back after the international break.”
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