Cucurella’s thunderbolt secures win for Chelsea against lowly Leicester

Chelsea needed a long-range thunderbolt from Marc Cucurella in the 60th minute to earn a far from convincing 1-0 win over the Premier League’s second-bottom side Leicester at Stamford Bridge.

Cucurella cracked in a fine strike in the 60th minute after advancing from left-back to break Leicester’s resistance, but this was a result far more valuable to Enzo Maresca than was the nature of a turgid, ponderous display, in which there was too little movement and an alarming absence of creativity.

It moved Chelsea above Manchester City back into the top four, but there will be sterner tests in what remains of the race for the Champions League spots than the one provided by Ruud van Nistelrooy’s relegation-bound side.

There were positives for Maresca, aside from the result.

Wesley Fofana made his first appearance since getting injured on December 1 and brought the defensive surety that the team have lacked in his absence, whilst a supercharged Enzo Fernandez never stopped running and chasing.

Few others in blue emerged with their reputations enhanced, however, and questions remain over Maresca’s preferred playing style.

Chelsea were awarded a penalty after 19 minutes, Jadon Sancho tripped by Victor Kristiansen as he tried to work room for a cross from the byline.

The moment appeared set up for Cole Palmer to end his eight-game goalless run from the spot, but goalkeeper Mads Hermansen plunged to his left and at full-stretch squeezed Palmer’s effort behind as his barren streak wore on.

Tosin Adarabioyo then sent a woefully-miscued clearance spinning off his shoulder and against his own crossbar from James Justin’s cross, though the defender may have been distracted by his goalkeeper Robert Sanchez flailing helplessly across his vision in the act of missing the ball completely.

It was a frustrating, fidgety first half. There were the now customary jeers from home supporters as they watched their side dither and delay in possession, taking promising opportunities to hit Leicester on the break and prosaically converting them into keep-ball exercises.

Hermansen threw up an arm to help Christopher Nkunku’s first-time curling effort over the crossbar in what was the only other Chelsea chance of note during the first 45 minutes.

Leicester fans, not yet resigned their team’s fate, drew great encouragement when Jamie Vardy lashed a pile-driver to the near post at the start of the second half, Sanchez beating it behind with a strong hand.

The game was threatening to go the way of so many others on this poor Chelsea run.

The ball was moved slowly around midfield while the visitors watched in the relatively-safe knowledge that no kind of penetrative pass was forthcoming.

Then the ball came to the feet of the always-ebullient Cucurella who, with the air of a man who simply had had enough, took matters into his own hands and rifled a superb effort low from 30 yards into Hermansen’s bottom corner to send ripples of relief around west London.

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