Wayne Rooney singles out “absolutely incredible” Chelsea star for special praise after dominant Champions League win | OneFootball

Wayne Rooney hailed Marc Cucurella after Chelsea’s 3-0 Champions League victory against Barcelona on Tuesday night. 

Enzo Maresca’s side defeated the La Liga champions at Stamford Bridge following an own-goal from Jules Kounde and second-half strikes from Estevao Willian and Liam Delap. 

But Rooney singled out Curcurella for special praise, saying the Spaniard was ‘absolutely incredible’. 

‘Cucurella’s given the best training lesson you could have for dealing with Lamine Yamal tonight,” he said on Amazon Prime. 

“Cucurella was absolutely incredible, probably the best performance I’ve seen from a left-back for a long, long time. To do that tonight, he’s a serious player.”

Cucurella delivered a defensive masterclass against Barcelona on Tuesday, and his performance was capped by being named man of the match. 

He locked up his international team-mate Lamine Yamal with ease, proving why he is regarded as one of the best defenders in Europe. 

The 27-year-old had 97 touches during the game, and completed 87 percent of his total passes. 

He won 100 percent of his aerial duels and recorded five tackles, two clearances, two interceptions and four recoveries. 

Cucurella joined Chelsea from Brighton & Hove Albion in 2022 for a fee worth over £60 million. 

He made a slow start to life in West London, but has established himself as a key first-team member over the last two seasons. 

The Spain international has featured in all 12 Premier League games this season, with two assists to his name. 

Chelsea endured a dreadful September, when they won just one of their five matches across all competitions. 

However, the Blues have since made a brilliant comeback. They are currently second in the Premier League following three consecutive victories against Tottenham Hotspur, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley. 

Tuesday’s win over Barcelona has lifted them to fifth in the Champions League league phase, with 10 points from five matches. 

Stats from Sofascore & Transfermarkt