Chelsea overwhelmed their opponents in what was arguably one of Enzo Maresca’s standout performances since becoming manager, with Estevao and Liam Delap finding the net after Jules Kounde’s own goal opened the scoring. ..Continue Reading
Barcelona often contributed to their own downfall at Stamford Bridge, and Ronald Araujo’s red card – his second booking – just before halftime left Flick’s side with an uphill battle.
The Spanish side were arguably lucky to concede only three, with Andrey Santos having a goal ruled out and Fernandez denied twice by VAR – once for handball and once for offside.
The night clearly belonged to Estevao, who dazzled with another electric display, further cementing his status as one of the brightest young stars in world football.
The 18-year-old Brazilian became just the third teenager to score in each of his first three Champions League starts, joining Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, thanks to his brilliant 55th-minute strike in west London.
Chelsea’s lineup delivered across the board, with Marc Cucurella earning plaudits for effectively neutralizing Lamine Yamal for most of the match.
Fernandez acknowledged Chelsea’s superiority but criticized Barcelona’s defensive strategy as overly risky.
‘Their defensive line was too high for my liking,’ the Chelsea midfielder told Movistar Plus+.
‘We knew the spaces were there behind them and we were able to find our striker in space many times.
‘And that was also the plan we had prepared with Maresca.’
His remarks echoed those of Alan Shearer, who was nearly ‘lost for words’ at the level of Barcelona’s ‘crazy’ defending on display.
‘They keep on getting done time and time again. Nothing more than Chelsea deserve. They time it to perfection again,’ the ex-England and Newcastle striker said while on commentary duty for Amazon Prime.
‘I’ve seen some offside traps in my time, but this is absolutely crazy it really is.
‘It’s as if there’s four dummies just stood there and saying, “How do you want to do it guys?”
‘It’s hard to believe at times, I’m lost for words at how easy it’s been for Chelsea to get through and how crazy at times they’re playing it.’
Tuesday’s dominant win lifted Chelsea to fifth in the Champions League group-stage table, while Barcelona slipped to 15th after four matches.
Chelsea will aim to carry that momentum into their next Premier League fixture — a high-stakes London derby against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
Barcelona, meanwhile, will look to bounce back quickly when they host Alaves in La Liga in just three days.
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