Crafty Cucurella fires up Chelsea's title challenge

A frantic London derby built on instinct and emotion naturally propelled Marc Cucurella into the spotlight again. Enzo Maresca refuses to acknowledge Chelsea as title contenders, but for large spells, amid such intensity from Thomas Frank’s excellent Brentford, they thrived and eventually held on for a precious victory, cutting the gap to leaders Liverpool to just two points, with the Reds holding a game in hand.

- JACK RATHBORN

But the Spaniard was the protagonist once again here. He was immense and involved in everything the Blues did well, including a diving header to break the deadlock on the stroke of half-time. But just as memories fade from his farcical slips at Tottenham, this dynamic display was given a late blemish as Cucurella earned a red card after the final whistle following a needless scuffle with Kevin Schade, meaning he will now miss next week’s game against Everton.

But before the late drama, Cucurella delivered more evidence of how he’s completely transformed both his own game and helped the Blues quickly establish themselves as title contenders under Maresca, no matter the Italian’s reluctance to accept it.

It was his perfectly timed sprint into the box and a glancing finish that broke this game open. But his industry before ensured the hosts retained their exhausting pace to eventually break down the Bees and claim a lead heading into the break.