Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea continued their strong Premier League form with a hard-earned 2-1 win over London rivals Brentford on Sunday evening.
However, the match ended with a baffling moment as fans were left questioning why Marc Cucurella received a red card after the final whistle.
Chelsea took control of the game at Stamford Bridge with goals from Marc Cucurella and Nicolas Jackson in the 43rd and 80th minutes, respectively.
Despite Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo scoring a late goal in the 90th minute, it was little more than a consolation, leaving Thomas Frank’s side to suffer yet another setback.
The result pushed Brentford further down the league table, with the team now languishing in the bottom half.
Under the leadership of Maresca in his first season, Chelsea has been in excellent form, winning 10 of their first 15 Premier League matches.
The team has showcased an exciting attacking style and has been consistently finding the back of the net, placing them second in the standings as they approach the halfway point of the season.
A notable moment from the match came when Cucurella scored his first Premier League goal for Chelsea, a diving header that helped secure the victory. The atmosphere was celebratory, but things took a sudden turn after the final whistle.
Cucurella became involved in a heated altercation with Brentford’s Kevin Schade, leading to a second yellow card for Cucurella and his subsequent red card, despite the match having already ended. The referee, Peter Bankes, also issued a yellow card to Schade for his role in the confrontation.
This post-match dispute escalated tensions between the two teams, creating a chaotic scene at Stamford Bridge.
Interestingly, Cucurella had already been booked earlier in the game for a reckless tackle on Fabio Carvalho, and the altercation after the final whistle meant that his actions ultimately earned him the first red card of his career.
According to the Premier League Match Centre, the red card was handed to Cucurella for displaying “an aggressive attitude” during the incident, with the same reasoning cited for Schade’s yellow card.
As a result, Cucurella, 26, will now miss Chelsea’s next match against Everton, which is a significant blow as the team aims to keep up their impressive run of form.
In response to the incident, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca spoke about the need for the team to improve their handling of such situations.
He admitted that he did not see the second yellow card, but explained that the referee had told him it was due to “bad attitude.” Maresca acknowledged that there were aspects of the team’s behavior that needed to be addressed, underscoring the importance of maintaining discipline as they continue their push for the title.
