Chelsea delivered a stunning performance at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night, beating 10-man Barcelona 3-0 in a thrilling victory that lifted the Blues into the UEFA Champions League’s top-eight qualification places.
The breakthrough for Chelsea came after 27 minutes when Marc Cucurella’s low cross caused panic in the Barcelona area. As Pedro Neto tried to shoot but defender Jules Kounde diverted the ball into his own net.
Things worsened for the visitors moments before halftime when Ronald Araújo received a second yellow card for a clumsy foul on Cucurella.
Chelsea continued to dominate after the restart and were eventually rewarded with a moment of brilliance from 18-year-old Estevao.
The Brazilian starlet glided past two defenders before unleashing a thunderous strike into the roof of the net from a tight angle.
As Chelsea’s young talent shone, Barcelona’s teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal struggled, cutting a frustrated figure before being substituted with 12 minutes remaining.
The night got even better for Chelsea when Liam Delap slotted home a Fernández cross in the 73rd minute to seal the win which was his first goal of the season.
“It is a huge night for Estevao, a huge night for the whole club,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. “Winning the Club World Cup has boosted the players’ confidence.”
“They now believe they can beat any team. A winning mentality is the only way to build something important. If Barcelona don’t have the ball, they don’t feel comfortable, so we tried to keep it.”
Chelsea now turn their focus to upcoming matches against Pafos, Atalanta and Napoli, while Barcelona need results against Eintracht Frankfurt, Slavia Prague and FC Copenhagen to avoid the playoffs.
Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League results
Ajax 0-2 Benfica
Galatasaray 0-1 USG
Bodo/Glimt 2-3 Juventus
Borussia Dortmund 4-0 Villarreal
Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona
Manchester City 0-2 Bayer Leverkusen
Napoli 2-0 Qarabag
Marseille 2-1 Newcastle
Slavia Praha 0-0 Athletic Bilbao.