To view this video, please enable JavaScript in your browser.
This video cannot be played.
Image caption: Chelsea end winless run with a draw away at Liverpool
Marc Cucurella praised Chelsea’s fighting spirit after they ended their dreadful Premier League losing streak, providing a tactical blueprint for next week’s FA Cup final.
The struggling Blues faced the possibility of becoming the first team in English football history to lose seven consecutive league matches before a Wembley showpiece when they fell 1-0 behind at Liverpool.
It looked grim after Ryan Gravenberch curled home a sixth-minute opener, but Chelsea fought back to level when Enzo Fernandez’s free-kick drifted in.
With Manchester City next up in the FA Cup final on Saturday, left-back Cucurella said his side must show the same drive and determination to end a troubled season with silverware.
“I think the effort today was really good,” he told TNT Sports. “It probably wasn’t our best moments, but we showed that if we play together, we have a good level.
“We’re happy that we proved we’re a really good team when we put in the effort and fight together. Hopefully, we can gain some confidence from this game because next week is massive.”
These have been depressing weeks for Chelsea. They slipped disappointingly out of the Champions League race, boss Liam Rosenior departed amid suggestions players had stopped responding to his methods, and they were beaten 3-1 at home by relegation-battling Nottingham Forest in interim head coach Calum McFarlane’s first game in charge.
Simply put, McFarlane needed to stop the bleeding and did so with a performance that earned his side applause from the away supporters at Anfield. It may also have revealed a potential approach for the season-defining game against City, even if Pep Guardiola’s side will start as favorites and pose a greater challenge than Liverpool.
**Colwill’s leadership brings calm in defensive switch**
Image source: BBC Sport
Image caption: Colwill completed 65 of his 73 passes on Saturday
McFarlane set Chelsea up in a back three for the first time during his interim spell, and only the fourth time overall this season. Under Rosenior, they lost twice against Premier League opposition using that system and only narrowly overcame Wrexham in the FA Cup. There was little to suggest the shape—never used by Enzo Maresca during his 18-month tenure—would prove effective.
However, the return of defender Levi Colwill for his first start in 10 months, since the FIFA Club World Cup final, brought composure in possession and greater stability when building from the back.
“I thought Levi was the best player on the pitch,” said McFarlane. “He gives you the ability to play out from the back, he’s a leader, and that was his first 90 minutes in a long time.”
The 23-year-old England centre-back returned alongside Wesley Fofana, who had previously been left out by McFarlane, in a partnership he enjoys. Dutchman Jorrel Hato was also recalled after being one of the few Chelsea players to perform consistently during a difficult run.
The system also allowed Cucurella to push higher as an attacking wing-back, exploiting makeshift Liverpool full-back Curtis Jones on that side. Cole Palmer, who has struggled for form, was also brighter and came close to ending a goalless run in club football that now stretches to 10 games, only for his effort to be ruled out for a marginal offside against Cucurella.
It offered a constructive solution for a side without four senior wingers, forced to include two academy players—17-year-old attackers Mathis Eboue and Ryan Kavuma-McQueen—on the bench. Chelsea are hopeful that Alejandro Garnacho and Pedro Neto will be back to face City, while captain Reece James also made his first appearance in almost a month as a substitute.
