Cucurella Calls for Chelsea to Build Ruthless Edge After Latest Setback

Marc Cucurella has called on Chelsea to develop a more ruthless approach following their inability to seal a win against Sunderland in the recent 2-1 loss on Saturday.

Under Enzo Maresca, the team has already lost eight points from advantageous positions this campaign, and the most recent lapse happened at Stamford Bridge with Sunderland's Chemsdine Talbi securing a victory goal in added time.

Chelsea took an early lead via Alejandro Garnacho's strike in the fourth minute, marking his debut goal for the club after joining from Manchester United, yet the Black Cats levelled the score in the 22nd minute courtesy of Wilson Isidor.

Despite controlling the ball for extended spells, the Blues failed to retake the advantage, adding to their pattern of ineffective performances.

Currently positioned in the middle of the Premier League table, Chelsea saw their streak of four consecutive victories across all tournaments halt.

The London outfit had anticipated capitalising on their previous achievements, including Champions League qualification, the UEFA Conference League triumph, and the Club World Cup success from last term.

Rather, defender Cucurella admitted there is much room for improvement, particularly in adopting a sharper finishing ability.

"This result is hard to swallow," Cucurella stated on Chelsea's official site. "We must get better in games like this. It seems we need to handle matches more effectively.

"After an early goal and period of control, we allowed the opposition to recover. Learning to close out games when ahead is essential.

"Facing sides with structured tactics, like Sunderland's tight and compact setup, requires us to adapt better."

For the second occasion this season, Chelsea suffered from a lengthy throw, as Nordi Mukiele's delivery into the penalty area caused chaos, enabling Isidor to convert the equaliser.

"Many opponents now rely on long throws, so we have to deal with them more adeptly," Cucurella added.

"We prepared for them in training yesterday, aware that Sunderland would employ direct plays from set pieces.

"Perhaps we eased off slightly, and they made us pay. There are no justifications. We must take lessons from it and prevent repeats."