CHELSEA fans have hailed Marc Cucurella following his superb display in their 2-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
Graham Potter’s side clinched a 2-1 aggregate victory over the German giants on Tuesday evening as they booked their place in the Champions League quarter-finals.
And Cucurella was named the Uefa Player of the Match after a dogged, determined display as part of Chelsea’s back three.
Due to the unavailability of Thiago Silva and Benoit Badiashile, the former Brighton man lined up alongside Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly in the heart of the Blues’ defence.
It came after Potter had left him out of his matchday squad for each of their previous three games against Southampton, Tottenham and Leeds.
Cucurella has endured a tough time at Stamford Bridge with Chelsea supporters booing him off during their 1-1 draw with West Ham last month.
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And after the game new Blues signing Mykhailo Mudryk liked an Instagram post slamming him.
But the Spaniard answered his critics in Europe on Tuesday night as fans heaped praise on him.
Reacting on social media, one fan said: “Cucurella’s best performance for the Blues so far, and I am hoping for many more.”
While another added: “Man played every position on the pitch… he was sensational.”
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A third replied: “For the first time in a Chelsea shirt Cucurella played fantastic football yesterday.”
And a fourth responded: “Best performance by Cucu in a Chelsea shirt.”
Cucurella had more touches (59) and completed more passes (35) than any other Chelsea player against Dortmund.
And Potter hailed his performance after the game, saying: “I’m delighted for him. Obviously when you’re having a bad time like we’ve had then you accept the criticism, you have to deal with it. Marc has dealt with it well.
“We’ve tried to shield him a little bit and at the same time pick the moment.
“I thought tonight, regardless of the situation, the crowd were going to get behind us because it’s the Champions League.
“Tonight, with Benoit not available, I thought he [Cucurella] gave us the left foot and balance in the back three and thankfully he delivered a top performance.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
