Marc Cucurella claims £37m Chelsea player deserves as much credit as Estevao Willian

Add as preferred source on Google

Chelsea’s Estevao Willian stole the headlines for his late winning goal against Liverpool in the Premier League. Marc Cucurella wanted to shine a light on another Blues teammate for his performance, too.

Chelsea will go into the international break now with a smile because of a 2-1 league victory at home to Liverpool.

Estevao Willian, who came off the bench for the final 15 minutes against the Reds, clinched three points for his side with a 95th-minute goal. Afterwards, Pat Nevin waxed lyrical about Estevao, tipping him for special things in the future.

In fairness, Enzo Maresca’s side were impressive all over the pitch to overcome Liverpool. The impact of their substitutes certainly played a major role as well.

• READ MORE: What Estevao Willian was spotted doing at full-time vs Liverpool will excite Chelsea fans

Marc Cucurella impressed by Estevao Willian & Jorrel Hato

In a post-match interview, Blues left-back Marc Cucurella praised Estevao for his match-winning contribution off the bench.

In addition, he thought that fellow substitute Jorrel Hato deserved as much credit for the way he played when he entered the action in the weekend’s fixture.

When asked about Estevao’s performance against Liverpool, Cucurella told Sky Sports Premier League: “He came [into the game] maybe his first time against Liverpool in the Premier League. It is true that the second half the pace of the game was very high. It was a lot of transitions. He came to the game with a lot of personality. I think Hato as well, he came in the middle of the game.

“I know it is difficult to come from the bench into these games with a lot of intensity and transition. I think today these two players deserve this moment.”

Blues head coach Maresca, who was sent off for celebrating the winning goal, was certainly busy on the touchline throughout. He actually made five substitutions, including a couple of enforced ones due to suspected injuries to Benoit Badiashile and Josh Acheampong.

It was very much a makeshift back four in the closing stages for the Blues, but they managed to stand firm and allow their attackers to grab a late winner.

Jorrel Hato performance vs Liverpool

Hato, who joined Chelsea for £37m (BBC) from Ajax in the summer, is still finding his feet at his new home this season. He was thrown into an awkward situation for the final 20 minutes against Liverpool, though.

The Blues finished the game with an unfamiliar centre-back partnership of Hato and Reece James.

It is encouraging to see Hato cope with the pressure and occasion during his short appearance against Liverpool, which is hopefully a sign of much more to come because he’s so composed as a defender.

Last month, Maresca insisted Hato needs time at Chelsea to transition to his new surroundings. We’re optimistic that the Dutchman does have a really bright future ahead of him!