Enzo Maresca says Chelsea must learn to manage situations better after Marc Cucurella was sent off at full time following Sunday’s victory over Brentford.
Cucurella, who had opened the scoring in the first half of the 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge, was shown a second yellow by referee Peter Bankes following an altercation with Brentford forward Kevin Schade after the final whistle.
Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) explained the full-back had been booked for “adopting an aggressive attitude”, with Schade also given a yellow card for his role in the incident.
Maresca said the sending off and the Bryan Mbeumo goal his side conceded on the stroke of full time were both experiences his players would learn from, but he was full of praise for Cucurella’s overall contributions.
“For sure the goal we concede, it is something we need to manage better,” Maresca said. “Then also probably at the end of the game, the game in finished, we can manage that moment in a different way. I think it’s experience for the players to learn and to improve things.”
He continued: “Cucurella was top on and off the ball… together with the other 10 (players), they were fantastic. We are happy, delighted with Marc’s performance.”
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Cucurella’s sending off means he will be suspended for Sunday’s Premier League trip to Everton. The 26-year-old has been an important part of Maresca’s side this season, featuring in 15 of their 16 top-flight matches.
Chelsea’s victory narrowed the gap to league leaders Liverpool to two points, having played one game more. Despite this, Maresca played down his side’s title chances.
“No matter how many games we are going to win, I think we are not ready to compete for the title,” he added. “One of the reasons why is I think teams that know how to compete to win the title, they are not going to concede the goal we conceded.
“We conceded a goal in the 90th minute when it was a throw-in for us. Teams that know how to win the title, they are not going to concede that goal. This is one of the reasons why I still continue to say we are not ready to win titles, even if you don’t believe me or you think I say it for… I said many times I would love the pressure to compete for a title but we are not ready for many reasons.
“We cannot concede the goal we did, to open the game and give them the chance to take a point here.”
Chelsea return to action against Shamrock Rovers in the Conference League on Thursday.
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
