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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has praised teammate Marc Cucurella for his display in their match against Brighton & Hove Albion.
The Blues welcomed the Seagulls to Stamford Bridge for a Carabao Cup third-round encounter on Wednesday, September 27. Mauricio Pochettino's side edged the contest 1-0 thanks to Nicolas Jackson's 50th-minute strike, snapping a three-match winless streak.
Chelsea made a few changes to their first-choice XI for Wednesday's match, with Cucurella, Lesley Ugochukwu, Cole Palmer and Ian Maatsen being handed starts. The Spaniard, playing against his former team, started at right-back and put in a solid display to help his side keep a clean sheet.
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After the game, Cucurella took to Instagram to post a carousel of images from the match and captioned it with:
"Next round🫡"
Fernandez, who replaced assist provider Palmer in the 75th minute, commented this on the post (translated by Instagram):
"What an animal"
Cucurella played all 90 minutes for the Blues on Wednesday, recording a game-high nine tackles, more than double the second highest (Maatsen with four). The 25-year-old kept Brighton winger Kaoru Mitoma quiet throughout the game, limiting the Japan international to just one successful dribble and no shots.
He also won 13 duels, another game-high, in addition to making two interceptions, winning two fouls and completing 81% of his passes.
Cucurella will hope his impressive display leads to him receiving his first Premier League minutes of the season this weekend. The Spaniard's previous appearance was also in the Carabao Cup - a 2-1 win over AFC Wimbledon last month.
He notably struggled last season, his first with the Blues, playing just 24 times in the league and 33 matches across competitions.
Chelsea return to Premier League action this weekend
Following their win over Brighton, the Blues will meet Fulham in a Premier League encounter at Craven Cottage on Monday, October 2. Mauricio Pochettino's side will be keen to build some momentum, having failed to score a goal in their last three league games (one draw, two defeats).
Fulham are currently 11th in the league standings, three places above Chelsea, with two wins, two draws and two losses from six matches. They drew 0-0 with Crystal Palace in their last Premier League game and beat Norwich City 2-1 in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Chelsea took on the Cottagers twice in the league last season. The first match finished 2-1 to Fulham at Craven Cottage, while the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge ended in a 0-0 draw.
