Chelsea restored their Champions League campaign in style, beating 10-man Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, highlighted by an exceptional performance from 18-year-old Estêvão.
The Brazilian winger scored an outstanding individual goal, following an own goal from Barcelona defender Jules Kounde. Ten minutes into the second half, Estêvão “drove at a defence already missing red-carded captain Ronald Araújo and produced a moment that will be talked about in west London for years.”
Reece James flicked the ball into his path down the right. From there, the youngster “mesmerised, slipping inside Pau Cubarsí then gliding across Alejandro Balde before rifling a rising, unstoppable finish high into the net.”
Chelsea started aggressively, displaying a pulsating, courageous first-half performance that left the five-time European champions lacking bite, fluency in attack, and the will to recover the ball. Midfield duels were intense, with Chelsea often emerging in possession and on the offensive. Manager Enzo Maresca said it was “the best 90 minutes from his rapidly improving team in his 18 months in the job.”
Liam Delap scored his first goal since the Club World Cup to round off the win. With this result, Chelsea are likely to secure direct passage to the last 16 with victories from their final two group matches.
The match saw Chelsea dominate early. Enzo Fernández’s opening strike was ruled out for a handball by Wesley Fofana, while Ferran Torres missed a chance after a midfield error. Estêvão’s free-kick almost created another goal, disallowed for offside, before Pedro Neto’s effort was deflected in via Kounde following a scramble.
Barcelona’s captain Araújo compounded their woes, receiving a second yellow and first-half dismissal after fouling Cucurella. Despite further disallowed goals, Chelsea maintained their intensity.
Estêvão’s brilliance was the highlight: he “embarrassed Balde and Cubarsi impudently and hit the roof of the net with venom.” Substitute Liam Delap completed the scoring with a tidy finish from Fernández’s cross, sealing a dominant 3-0 victory for Chelsea.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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