Marc Cucurella Exposes Liverpool Weakness That Helped Chelsea Beat Them

Marc Cucurella exposed a major flaw in Liverpool’s play that helped Chelsea to a 2-1 win in the Premier League on Sunday evening. The defender was once again one of the Blues’ standout performers, as they refused to let the champions’ hour-mark equaliser disrupt their flow, with Estevão poking home the winner in stoppage time.

It marked the Reds’ third consecutive loss under Arne Slot, their worst run since he took the reins at Anfield last summer. For Enzo Maresca’s side, however, it was proof that their Italian manager is tactically astute, guiding Chelsea to a hard-fought win despite the pressure of a makeshift defence that saw Benoit Badiashile starting his first league game since last December alongside teenager Josh Acheampong.

The worrying sign for Liverpool is that Cucurella managed to expose one of their weaknesses in just a few short words during his post-match interview. While “Slot-ball” brought unpredictability last season as they stormed to the league title, early teething issues and a growing sense of one-dimensionality have now cost them top spot, with Arsenal overtaking them heading into the international break.

Marc Cucurella Reveals Liverpool Flaw That Helped Chelsea Win

The left-back revealed that Maresca had told them to focus their play down the left flank late on as he knew Mohamed Salah would not track back, identifying an opportunity to double-up on ad hoc defender Dominik Szoboszlai, who was being asked to fill in at right-back after Conor Bradley’s disastrous first half saw him hooked off at the break. As per the Metro, Cucurella said (watch his interview below):

Seven games into the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, and it still doesn’t appear that Slot knows his best lineup. The aforementioned Szoboszlai has been used as a makeshift right-back at times, while both Bradley and summer signing Jeremie Frimpong have yet to prove themselves as the Trent Alexander-Arnold replacement their boss has been hoping for during their auditions.

What’s more, as Salah continues to move deeper into his twilight years, he can no longer be expected to shoulder the attacking burden alone. And after winning their first five games of the season with goals in the 83rd minute or later, the Reds are now getting a taste of their own medicine as their late composure has given way to closing time collapses.

The sky isn’t falling on the red half of Merseyside just yet, with a seven-game winning streak prior to this week proving they still boast an enviable winning mentality. But their defeat in the capital should serve as a wake-up call: things must change if they are to make a success of this season and ensure Arsenal don’t run away with the title.