Chelsea enjoyed a convincing 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Uefa Champions League on Tuesday night in front of an electric Stamford Bridge crowd.
The Blues had already had two goals chalked off prior to taking the lead when Marc Cucurella’s cross was deflected in by Jules Kounde. Things got worse for Hansi Flick's side when defender Ronald Araujo was dismissed for a second bookable offence just before half-time.
From then it was about how much damage Chelsea could inflict on their visitors. Brazilian forward Estevao scored his best goal in a Chelsea shirt yet following excellent footwork in the box.
“I don’t have any words to sum up how I’m feeling. It really was a perfect night. Onwards and upwards from here,” the 18-year-old said after the game.
“It was all very quick. I found some space, wiggled my way through, and scored that goal. It was such a special moment for me in my career.”
Liam Delap then put the match out of reach with a well-directed effort beyond the reach of Joan Garcia.
“It was a complicated match before we got the red card with 11 players. We tried to give everything to fight for the match, but the truth is they have great quality, and they knew how to find the spaces,” the Barcelona goalkeeper said during his post-match interview.
The win moved Chelsea up to fourth in theUefa Champions League table, while Barcelona dropped to 15th.
Chelsea player ratings
Robert Sanchez - 7/10: Chelsea’s goalkeeper was aggressive and was prepared to take players out to win the ball. Saved against Raphinha in the second half to maintain the three-goal lead.
Marc Cucurella - 8/10: An energetic presence on the left-flank and fared impressively against Lamine Yamal. He was involved in Chelsea’s opener after his cross was eventually directed in by Jules Kounde.
Trevoh Chalobah -7/10: Positioned well to block off passing lanes while using his pace to track runners. Penalised for being in an offside position when Chelsea had the ball in the net before they took the lead.
Wesley Fofana - 6/10: Didn’t draw much attention, which is always a good thing for a centre-back.
Malo Gusto - 6/10: Worked hard to maintain Chelsea’s press but was replaced by Andrey Santos at the break after being on the end of some heavy challenges.
Moises Caicedo - 7/10: Restricted space in midfield for Lamine Yamal to run into and linked well with Alejandro Garnacho.
Reece James - 6/10: Some careless play in midfield saw a pass picked off before a huge chance for Ferran Torres was
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