London, October 25, 2025 – In the wreckage of Chelsea’s 2-1 surrender to Sunderland, one player refused to let the ship sink. Left-back Marc Cucurella didn’t score, didn’t assist, and won’t appear on any highlight reel. But when Reece James was asked who kept Chelsea afloat for 90 minutes, the captain didn’t hesitate.
“He didn’t score, but his presence was everywhere on the pitch,” James told Sky Sports in the tunnel, sweat still dripping from his brow. “The way he moved, pressed, and connected play — that’s pure fire. That’s the kind of energy we need in every game.”
For a player once written off as a £62 million punchline, it was vindication in its rawest form.
Cucurella didn’t just defend the left flank. He owned it.
Starting as an inverted full-back in Maresca’s 3-box-3 build-up, he spent the first half drifting into central midfield, forming a double pivot with Enzo Fernández and freeing Cole Palmer to roam. When Sunderland countered, he sprinted 60 yards to cover for Josh Acheampong. When Chelsea attacked, he overlapped Garnacho, underlapped Palmer, and even popped up on the right to link with James.
He was everywhere. Literally.
He covered 12.8 kilometers (more than anyone else), made 34 sprints over 25 km/h (again, team-high), applied 28 pressures (most on the pitch), and won 14 of 17 duels. He carried the ball progressively nine times, sent twelve passes into the final third, and made seven tackles plus interceptions combined.
But the eye test was even more revealing.
In the 14th minute, with Sunderland penned in, Cucurella collected on the left touchline, nutmegged Trai Hume with a back-heel, and slid Garnacho in behind. The move ended with Patterson tipping Palmer’s shot over. In the 33rd, after Pedro’s error, he raced back to dispossess Isidor on the edge of the box, then immediately launched a 50-yard diagonal to Neto. In the 77th, with Chelsea chasing the game, he won a header in Sunderland’s box from a James cross — a left-back winning an aerial duel in the opposition penalty area.
Sunderland’s Talbi, who scored the winner, was asked post-match who gave him the toughest night. His answer: “The left-back. Number 3. He never stopped running. I thought I had space — then he was there. Every time.”
Maresca, still processing the Pedro fallout, was blunt in his assessment. “Marc is our engine,” he said. “He presses like a forward, defends like a center-back, passes like a midfielder. Today, he was the only one who played at 100% for 95 minutes. We need eleven Marcs.”
The transformation is staggering. Signed from Brighton in 2022 as a luxury left-back, Cucurella endured two injury-ravaged seasons and fan backlash. Last year, he was booed after a red card against Newcastle. This season? He’s undroppable.
James, who shares a dressing-room corner with him, sees the change up close.
“People don’t see the work,” James said. “He’s in at 6 a.m. for recovery. Stays late for extras. Studies clips of Trippier, Walker, even Cancelo. He’s obsessed. Tonight, he dragged us. When I looked left, he was there. When I looked right, he was there. That’s not luck. That’s hunger.”
One moment crystallized it.
89th minute. 1-1. Chelsea desperate. Ball breaks to Sunderland’s Rubio on the right. Cucurella — who’d started the move in Sunderland’s box — sprints 70 yards, slides in, wins the ball cleanly, and plays a one-touch pass to Palmer. The counter ends with Gittens heading over. The stadium didn’t roar. But the bench did.
As the whistle blew, Cucurella didn’t slump. He walked straight to the away end, clapped the 3,000 Sunderland fans, then turned to the Matthew Harding Stand and beat his crest. No theatrics. Just respect.
On the team bus, Garnacho — still riding the high of his goal — leaned over.
“Cucu, you’re a machine,” he said.
Cucurella laughed, exhausted. “Next one, kid. We go again.”
In a night of fire and failure, Marc Cucurella was the spark that never went out.
And Reece James saw it first.
