Chelsea faced heavy criticism due to a foolish red card

Marc Cucurella was shown a straight red card before Fulham, triggering a wave of anger from Chelsea supporters and intensifying the blue team's disciplinary problems this season.

Marc Cucurella became the focus of Chelsea fans' criticism after being sent off directly in the away match against Fulham, bringing Chelsea’s total red cards to seven since the start of the Premier League season.

The incident happened when Chelsea were caught on the counterattack from a long ball by goalkeeper Bernd Leno. Harry Wilson broke free towards goal, forcing Cucurella to pull his opponent’s arm from behind. The referee immediately showed a red card for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity. VAR later confirmed the decision, ruling that the Spanish defender committed a holding foul outside the penalty area.

Right after this moment, Chelsea fans’ social media erupted. One supporter said ''it was a moment of poor judgment'', emphasizing that Chelsea players should blame their teammate for the mistake instead of reacting against the referee and risking further cards.

Another frustrated opinion stated that with his top-level experience and impressive trophy collection, ''Cucurella should not make such a basic error''. Some fans even claimed this was ''the most foolish red card Chelsea have received this season', reflecting a lack of foresight and causing serious harm to the team.

Another fan, while still supportive of Cucurella, felt the Spanish defender had “deeply disappointed both teammates and fans” with his rash decision. Some harshly questioned: "in that situation, if he couldn’t keep up with Harry Wilson, Cucurella should have allowed the opponent to continue rather than commit a foul leading to a red card."

Playing with one man down, Chelsea gradually lost control. Fulham took advantage of the numerical superiority to dominate possession and scored the opener through Raul Jimenez in the 55th minute. Although Chelsea managed to equalize, Harry Wilson’s excellent form secured the home team’s victory, ending a night to forget for the London blues.

Cucurella’s red card was not just an individual mistake but also exposed the disciplinary and mental resilience issues that Chelsea need to address promptly during this turbulent period.