Chelsea Demolish Barcelona in a 3 – goal Thriller
Chelsea’s teenage sensation Estevão Willian outshined fellow wonderkid Lamine Yamal in a dominant 3-0 win over 10-man Barcelona in the Champions League.
The 18-year-old Brazilian stole the spotlight with a breathtaking solo goal — Chelsea’s second of the night — after Barça captain Ronald Araújo was dismissed for a second yellow just before half-time.
Chelsea had already gone 1-0 up when Jules Kounde diverted Neto’s flick into his own net from a clever short-corner routine involving Estevão, Alejandro Garnacho and Marc Cucurella. Substitute Liam Delap later ended his 11-game drought by finishing off a slick move for Chelsea’s third.
But this night belonged to Estevão.
In a showdown between two of the world’s best teenage attackers, the Chelsea winger dazzled as he danced past Pau Cubarsí, brushed off Alejandro Balde, and blasted past Joan Garcia. Meanwhile, Yamal endured a quieter evening and was withdrawn in the 80th minute to jeers from the home fans — moments before Estevão himself received a standing ovation as he was subbed off.
Chelsea produced the standout performance despite missing star forward Cole Palmer through injury. Enzo Fernández twice had goals ruled out for offside, Reece James forced multiple saves from long range, and Neto missed a golden chance when clean through. Barcelona’s best moment came when Ferran Torres somehow fired wide from close range, before being replaced by Marcus Rashford at the break.
After Estevão’s magic made it 2-0, Delap sealed the win with a composed side-footed finish following Fernández’s perfectly timed run and square ball.
The victory pushes Chelsea into the top eight of the 36-team league phase with three matches left — a position that would allow them to skip February’s play-off round.
Are Chelsea being underestimated?
There’s a growing quiet belief around Stamford Bridge. Publicly, the players have downplayed title talk, especially since Levi Colwill’s early-season comments. But behind the scenes, there’s increasing confidence that Chelsea can genuinely challenge.
The £1.5bn investment under the BlueCo project is beginning to bear fruit. Moisés Caicedo and Fernández are thriving in midfield, Cucurella is playing like one of Europe’s in-form left-backs, and Estevão — already on five goals — is emerging as one of football’s brightest young stars, helping Chelsea cope without the sidelined Palmer.
Five wins and a draw since the defeat to Sunderland have built serious momentum ahead of Sunday’s top-of-the-table Premier League clash with Arsenal.
If Chelsea maintain this level, they could force their way into the title conversation.
Barcelona’s struggles without Pedri
Hansi Flick played down the defeat, reminding that his side were missing key players. Raphinha was only fit enough for a cameo, Rashford had just recovered from illness, and most significantly, Pedri’s absence left Barcelona vulnerable to Chelsea’s aggressive press.
Flick admitted his side made “big ball losses” and “unusual mistakes,” but preferred to highlight positives, especially Raphinha’s return to action.
Barcelona still remain well-placed to qualify from the Champions League league phase. With home games against Eintracht Frankfurt and Copenhagen and a trip to Slavia Prague remaining, they’ll likely need three wins to secure direct qualification and avoid the play-off round.
What’s next?
- Chelsea: Host Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday (16:30 GMT).
- Barcelona: Welcome Alavés to the Olympic Stadium on Saturday (15:15 GMT).