{"id":107549,"date":"2025-10-05T08:45:16","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T08:45:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549"},"modified":"2025-10-05T08:45:16","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T08:45:16","slug":"he-is-such-a-good-defender-i-hardly-break-through-him-i-would-say-i-was-a-little-bit-scared-of-him-lol-liverpool-legend-mohamed-salah-admitted-after-the-intense-clash-at-stamford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549","title":{"rendered":"\u201cHe is such a good defender. I hardly break through him. I would say I was a little bit scared of him, lol,\u201d Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah admitted after the intense clash at Stamford Bridge."},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

London, October 7, 2025 \u2013 In the raw aftermath of Liverpool\u2019s 2-1 Premier League heartbreaker at Stamford Bridge, Mohamed Salah \u2013 the Egyptian icon whose name alone evokes dread in defenders worldwide \u2013 flipped the script with a disarmingly honest admission. The 33-year-old forward, who has terrorized backlines for over a decade, revealed the one Chelsea player who turned the tables on him during Saturday\u2019s pulsating clash. \u201cHe is such a good defender. I hardly break through him. I would say I was a little bit scared of him, lol,\u201d Salah confessed with a sheepish grin during an impromptu chat with beIN Sports, his laughter masking the frustration of a night where his brilliance was bottled up. The culprit? Marc Cucurella, the once-maligned Spanish left-back whose ferocious display not only neutralized Salah but earned the respect of a living legend.<\/p>\n

The match, a testament to the Premier League\u2019s unrelenting drama, saw Chelsea claw to victory in stoppage time, courtesy of Est\u00eav\u00e3o Willian\u2019s teenage dream goal. Enzo Maresca\u2019s Blues, embodying a siege mentality reminiscent of their glory days, struck first through Mois\u00e9s Caicedo\u2019s 35th-minute missile \u2013 a venomous 25-yard curler that silenced the traveling Kop. Salah, ever the opportunist, leveled proceedings in the 60th minute, pouncing on Cody Gakpo\u2019s low cross to rifle home his sixth of the season. But Chelsea\u2019s resolve shone brightest in the 95th minute, as Cole Palmer\u2019s visionary pass unlocked Est\u00eav\u00e3o, the 18-year-old Brazilian phenom, for a composed finish that sent Stamford Bridge into raptures. The result vaults Chelsea to fourth, three points adrift of Arsenal, while Liverpool\u2019s third-place perch wobbles amid a trio of defeats in five.<\/p>\n

Salah\u2019s tribute to Cucurella, however, overshadowed the scoreline. The Spaniard, acquired for \u00a362 million from Brighton in 2022 amid fan skepticism, has shed his \u201cerror-prone\u201d tag like a winter coat. Under Maresca\u2019s tactical alchemy \u2013 a 4-2-3-1 laced with positional fluidity \u2013 Cucurella morphed into a hybrid guardian, patrolling the left flank with the ferocity of a matador. Against Salah, he was poetry in motion: 10 duels won from 12, six tackles landed, four interceptions, and a staggering 94% pass completion rate from 85 touches. He shadowed the Egyptian relentlessly, forcing hurried decisions and blocking lanes with preemptive brilliance. Salah, who averages 0.8 goals per game this term, mustered just two shots on target, his equalizer a rare lapse in Cucurella\u2019s vigilance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI respect him a lot \u2013 he\u2019s quick, strong, and reads the game like a book,\u201d Salah continued, his \u201clol\u201d a nod to the absurdity of admitting fear to a rival. \u201cIn training, you face tough defenders, but Marc? He was everywhere. Made me think twice every cut inside.\u201d It\u2019s a seismic shift; Salah, Liverpool\u2019s talismanic king with 222 goals in 367 appearances, rarely concedes ground. His words echo a broader narrative: Cucurella\u2019s reinvention as Chelsea\u2019s \u201cmonster,\u201d a term coined by teammate Levi Colwill in the tunnel post-match. The 27-year-old\u2019s stats \u2013 top percentile for progressive carries and defensive actions among full-backs \u2013 underscore his growth, fueled by Maresca\u2019s Pep-infused drills emphasizing anticipation over athleticism alone.<\/p>\n

The plaudits have snowballed since the final whistle. Jamie Carragher, Salah\u2019s ex-team-mate, gushed on Sky Sports: \u201cCucurella did what no Chelsea player has in years \u2013 made Mo look human.\u201d Jose Mourinho, Chelsea\u2019s serial winner, tweeted: \u201cThat\u2019s the fear factor we built. Marc\u2019s got it now.\u201d Arne Slot, Liverpool\u2019s beleaguered boss, joined the chorus: \u201cWasn\u2019t expecting that level, but outstanding.\u201d Even neutral voices, like Gary Lineker on Match of the Day, hailed it as \u201cthe performance of the weekend.\u201d For Cucurella, a player once jeered by his own fans during a 2023 derby meltdown, it\u2019s redemption incarnate. \u201cMo\u2019s the best; hearing that from him? Dream come true,\u201d he told reporters, eyes gleaming. \u201cBut it\u2019s not me \u2013 it\u2019s the system, the lads. We shut him down as a unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Liverpool\u2019s loss, though, amplifies the cracks in Arne Slot\u2019s project. The Reds, pre-match favorites after a Champions League romp midweek, faltered in conversion: 58% possession, 15 shots, yet zero big chances created beyond Salah\u2019s tap-in. Florian Wirtz\u2019s halftime withdrawal \u2013 his second straight sub \u2013 sparked mutterings of a misfit in England\u2019s cauldron, while Darwin N\u00fa\u00f1ez\u2019s profligacy (two clear misses) drew groans from the bench. Slot, stoic in defeat, leaned on Salah\u2019s candor: \u201cIf Mo says that, it shows what we faced. Cucurella exposed our predictability on the right. We\u2019ll adapt.\u201d Yet, with Manchester City looming and fan forums ablaze (\u201cSell Wirtz, buy a left-back\u201d), the Dutchman\u2019s honeymoon nears its end. FSG\u2019s prudent purse strings contrast Chelsea\u2019s largesse \u2013 \u00a350m on Est\u00eav\u00e3o, \u00a380m on Alejandro Garnacho \u2013 highlighting a spending chasm that\u2019s now a results rift.<\/p>\n

Chelsea, conversely, exude momentum. Maresca\u2019s squad, scarred by summer exodus and injury woes (Reece James out; Beno\u00eet Badiashile limping off), has found alchemy in adversity. Garnacho\u2019s teasing assist on Est\u00eav\u00e3o\u2019s winner \u2013 a darting run that bamboozled Conor Bradley \u2013 added flair to the fortitude. Palmer, the \u00a342.5m maestro, orchestrated with eight key passes, his vision the spark in a powder keg. \u201cWe thrive in these fires,\u201d Maresca beamed. \u201cMarc embodies that \u2013 fearless.\u201d The win, their biggest scalp yet, evokes 2014-15 echoes under Mourinho: unyielding in Europe\u2019s elite ties.<\/p>\n

Salah\u2019s confession humanizes the machine. In a league of superhumans, vulnerability from the invulnerable \u2013 a \u201cscared\u201d Salah \u2013 reminds us of the game\u2019s poetry. As the international break beckons, Liverpool regroup, haunted by a defender who turned predator. Chelsea? They march on, Cucurella\u2019s star ascendant, a beacon in blue. In football\u2019s coliseum, respect is the ultimate trophy \u2013 and tonight, the Egyptian King bowed to the Spanish sentinel.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

London, October 7, 2025 \u2013 In the raw aftermath of Liverpool’s 2-1 Premier League heartbreaker at Stamford Bridge, Mohamed Salah \u2013 the Egyptian icon whose<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":107552,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-football"],"yoast_head":"\n\u201cHe is such a good defender. I hardly break through him. I would say I was a little bit scared of him, lol,\u201d Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah admitted after the intense clash at Stamford Bridge. - News 365<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u201cHe is such a good defender. I hardly break through him. I would say I was a little bit scared of him, lol,\u201d Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah admitted after the intense clash at Stamford Bridge. - News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"London, October 7, 2025 \u2013 In the raw aftermath of Liverpool's 2-1 Premier League heartbreaker at Stamford Bridge, Mohamed Salah \u2013 the Egyptian icon whose\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"News 365\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-05T08:45:16+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_9695.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"864\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MsTrinh\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MsTrinh\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549\",\"name\":\"\u201cHe is such a good defender. I hardly break through him. I would say I was a little bit scared of him, lol,\u201d Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah admitted after the intense clash at Stamford Bridge. - News 365\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_9695.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-05T08:45:16+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-05T08:45:16+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4ceee60ccedcaefdcdb92666e3638df8\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_9695.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_9695.jpeg\",\"width\":864,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"\u201cHe is such a good defender. I hardly break through him. I would say I was a little bit scared of him, lol,\u201d Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah admitted after the intense clash at Stamford Bridge.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"News 365\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4ceee60ccedcaefdcdb92666e3638df8\",\"name\":\"MsTrinh\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f334e513f44159c0cebc84de47ae8c06c54d423e5372ae7ac253be488b39650?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f334e513f44159c0cebc84de47ae8c06c54d423e5372ae7ac253be488b39650?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MsTrinh\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=5\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\u201cHe is such a good defender. I hardly break through him. I would say I was a little bit scared of him, lol,\u201d Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah admitted after the intense clash at Stamford Bridge. - News 365","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\u201cHe is such a good defender. I hardly break through him. I would say I was a little bit scared of him, lol,\u201d Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah admitted after the intense clash at Stamford Bridge. - News 365","og_description":"London, October 7, 2025 \u2013 In the raw aftermath of Liverpool's 2-1 Premier League heartbreaker at Stamford Bridge, Mohamed Salah \u2013 the Egyptian icon whose","og_url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549","og_site_name":"News 365","article_published_time":"2025-10-05T08:45:16+00:00","og_image":[{"width":864,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_9695.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"MsTrinh","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MsTrinh","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549","name":"\u201cHe is such a good defender. I hardly break through him. I would say I was a little bit scared of him, lol,\u201d Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah admitted after the intense clash at Stamford Bridge. - News 365","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_9695.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-10-05T08:45:16+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-05T08:45:16+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4ceee60ccedcaefdcdb92666e3638df8"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_9695.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/IMG_9695.jpeg","width":864,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?p=107549#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"\u201cHe is such a good defender. I hardly break through him. I would say I was a little bit scared of him, lol,\u201d Liverpool legend Mohamed Salah admitted after the intense clash at Stamford Bridge."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/","name":"News 365","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/4ceee60ccedcaefdcdb92666e3638df8","name":"MsTrinh","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f334e513f44159c0cebc84de47ae8c06c54d423e5372ae7ac253be488b39650?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6f334e513f44159c0cebc84de47ae8c06c54d423e5372ae7ac253be488b39650?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MsTrinh"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/?author=5"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=107549"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107549\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":107553,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107549\/revisions\/107553"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/107552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=107549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=107549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new365.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=107549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}