Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella has lifted the lid on the tactical blueprint behind Chelsea’s dramatic late winner against Liverpool.
The Spaniard revealed that Enzo Maresca’s side deliberately set out to target Mohamed Salah and the space he leaves on the Reds’ right flank.
The Blues sealed a crucial 2-1 victory over the reigning Premier League champions at Stamford Bridge on Saturday evening, with a 95th-minute strike from teenage sensation Estevão, set up by Cucurella.
The Spaniard has now explained how Chelsea identified Salah’s advanced positioning as a potential weakness and made it a key part of their attacking game plan.
Liverpool had looked to have salvaged a point in West London after Cody Gakpo’s second-half equaliser cancelled out Moises Caicedo’s opener. But, for the second weekend in a row, Arne Slot’s side were undone by a stoppage-time winner — following their dramatic late defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Cucurella was candid about Chelsea’s tactical intentions.
“I think we deserve it,” Cucurella said. “We started the game very well and then the second half we started not in the right way again — we need to improve these things. But in general I think we deserve this win…”
Chelsea’s breakthrough came deep into stoppage time. After sustained pressure down Liverpool’s right-hand side, Enzo Maresca’s men finally found the gap they’d been probing for all game, with Cucurella racing into space and delivering a decisive cross.
“We know that Salah is always ready for the counter-attack so we practiced that and the manager said that the space might be there [on the right side of Liverpool],” Cucurella explained.
“We saw that it was the last minute but we kept attacking. I tried to give my last effort and Enzo gave me the ball and I crossed for Estevão.”
The decisive moment perfectly encapsulated Chelsea’s strategy: absorb Liverpool’s attacking pressure, then strike into the spaces left by Salah’s forward runs and a reshuffled defensive line.
Chelsea’s left-back, further elaborated on how Salah’s attack-minded tendencies had shaped the club’s preparation in the build-up to the match.
“Yeah, I think they play one style of game that Salah is always ready to attack so we prepare that,” he said.
“If we do the crosses [with] maybe a lot of pace on them, so I think we try to make these things on our side and today it worked, and we can win the game in this way.”
It was a telling admission and one that will give opposition analysts plenty of food for thought. Salah’s attacking instincts have always been one of Liverpool’s greatest strengths, but his positioning high up the pitch can leave gaps behind, particularly when Trent Alexander-Arnold is no longer there in that right-back role to cover for him.
Liverpool’s right-back area has been a problematic talking point since the start of the season. With Alexander-Arnold no longer at the club, Arne Slot has rotated between Conor Bradley, Jeremie Frimpong, and even Dominik Szoboszlai as temporary solutions. Injuries have disrupted any sense of stability, and that uncertainty has repeatedly been exposed by opponents.
Against Chelsea, it proved costly once more. The Reds struggled to contain Cucurella on that side throughout the match, and the winning goal was the inevitable outcome of repeated pressure.
Slot defended Salah after the match, insisting the Egyptian remains a key figure despite a frustrating evening, but this was a game that highlighted how Liverpool are still trying to find balance between attack and defence.
Salah, who has three goals and three assists from 10 appearances so far this season, endured a difficult night in front of goal and failed to make his usual impact in the final third.
The result lifted Chelsea to sixth in the Premier League table with 11 points from seven games. It was their first league victory in four matches — and one they badly needed after a stuttering run of form.
For Liverpool, meanwhile, it was another setback in their title defence. Consecutive stoppage-time defeats have raised fresh questions about their game management and defensive shape in key moments.
Cucurella’s honest post-match comments laid bare just how deliberate Chelsea’s approach had been.
“We practiced that,” he repeated. “The manager said maybe the space is there, and today it worked.”
Liverpool now have two weeks over the international break to regroup and reassess with bitter North West rivals Manchester United up next at Anfield after the break.
