Marc Cucurella grins after Chelsea teammate Pedro Neto provides hilarious opinion on his ‘secret’ to stop Arsenal ace Bukayo Saka
Chelsea's Marc Cucurella and Pedro Neto shared a funny moment following the Blues' 1-1 draw with Arsenal on Sunday, November 10. Cucurella was asked how he controlled Bukayo Saka throughout the fixture, prompting Neto to make a hilarious comment which made the Spaniard laugh.
Neto said in the post-match press conference:
"Being Marc Cucurella."
Cucurella put in a fantastic performance, dealing admirably with Arsenal ace Saka. When asked about how he dealt with him, the Spaniard said:
"I try not to give him space, I try to always be close to him. We know he's a special talent so I try to do my work and help my team. I need to do my job in the pitch."
"I think today I tried to do my best and we got one point," he added
Cucurella's shift earned him Player of the Match honors. At the other end, Neto also proved to be a difference-maker. After Arsenal had taken the lead through Gabriel Martinelli in the 60th minute, the Portugal international equalized for Chelsea 10 minutes later. His fierce effort from outside helped the Blues secure a point.
The result sees the two London rivals head into the international break level on points (19), with the Blues third on goal difference ahead of the Gunners. Both teams are already nine points off league leaders Liverpool.
Theo Walcott points to Chelsea star as player Arsenal needed to sign
Former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott claimed that Chelsea's Pedro Neto was the type of player the club should have signed. Walcott insisted the Portuguese would have been able to provide competition for different places up front for the Gunners.
He said (via Match of the Day):
"When we talk about Neto – he’s the sort of player who Arsenal maybe could have signed to have given that competition to other players," he said on Match of the Day 2.
"That’s kind of what they need right now, to provide that competition," Walcott added.
Attacking depth has been an area of concern for Mikel Arteta's side. They signed Raheem Sterling on loan this summer but he has been scarcely involved. Bukayo Saka is coming off a season with over 3000 minutes of action and additional options could have served the side well.
Neto has proven to be just that for Chelsea, being used on either wing for the side. He joined this summer from Wolves for a reported £54 million and has shown to be a useful player, collecting three goals and three assists in 15 games across competitions.