Estevao outshines Lamine Yamal, Marc Cucurella cooks and Enzos produce the goods – Chelsea v Barcelona storylines

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What a night for Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the UEFA Champions League. The Blues continued their red-hot form with a dominant 3-0 victory over La Liga champions Barcelona. Chelsea forward Estevao lit up the English capital with a stunning solo goal and outshone fellow teenage sensation Lamine Yamal. Meanwhile, both Enzo Fernandez and Enzo Maresca drove the Blues on to their brilliant win.

Highlights: Estevao lights up Stamford Bridge as Chelsea batter Barcelona

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Estevao outshines Yamal in battle of teenagers

"You’re just a s*** Estevao."

This is how the Stamford Bridge faithful serenaded the 2025 Ballon d'Or runner-up Lamine Yamal in the second half on a UEFA Champions League night to remember.

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The chant boomed around the ground moments after Chelsea's talented teenager doubled their lead on the night with a stunning effort that rifled into the top corner.

The song was audible once again when Yamal was put out of his misery in the 80th minute, when he was substituted with the game far beyond the reach of Barcelona.

In the absence of the injured Cole Palmer, the Chelsea faithful have been starved of individual brilliance up top but not any more.

They have a new star in Estevao, who was a constant threat throughout the game and terrorised the Barcelona defenders in Chelsea's 3-0 win.

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The 18-year-old Brazilian now becomes the third teenager to score in each of his first three UEFA Champions League starts, after Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland - not bad company to be in.

As for Yamal, he will want to forget his first trip to England after failing to make an impact in the game.

It was the teenager who broke English hearts last year as Spain edged out The Three Lions to win Euro 2024 in Germany, but he could barely watch on from the bench for the remainder of the game when he was substituted.

Cucurella continues to COOK

Yamal underwhelmed at Stamford Bridge, the main reason was because of one man - Marc Cucurella.

The Chelsea full-back didn't allow his fellow Spaniard any breathing space during the entire match and the tone was set after 35 minutes when Yamal failed to get past Cucurella, with the Chelsea man winning a goal-kick for his team.

Cucurella let out an almighty roar following the incident and was mobbed by his team-mates for his great effort.

Although Estevao will grab the headlines for his wonder goal, it was Cucurella who picked up the Champions League Player of the Match on the night and it was fully deserved.

Gone are the days when Chelsea fans were unsure about this signing from Brighton, as he has managed to win them over and cement himself as one of the best full-backs on the continent right now.

'It is mightily tight!' - Delap goal wraps up Chelsea victory despite delay

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Energetic Enzos drive Chelsea on and off the pitch

Nothing summed up Chelsea's desire tonight more than their leaders - the two Enzos.

Enzo Fernandez can count himself unlucky for not getting on the scoresheet after he had two goals ruled out in the first half, but that did not deter him from putting together a dominant midfield performance.

Rather than feel sorry for him following those disallowed efforts, he kept his composure and bossed the game and even set up Liam Delap for the final goal of the evening.

If it was Enzo was setting the tone on the pitch, it was the other Enzo on the touchline who was a bundle of energy.

It was another Maresca masterclass against one of the European big boys, and he is making a habit of delivering in the biggest moments for Chelsea.

Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca celebrates victory over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge

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Maresca decided to deploy similar tactics to the one in the Club World Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain in the summer, playing Reece James in midfield and allowing Pedro Neto to roam as a false nine.

The tactics worked a treat. Barca had no answer to Chelsea's plan and were outclassed and outfought even before the sending off after 44 minutes.

Maresca was full of energy on the touchline too as he produced an air tackle on a number of occasions when Cucurella found himself in a one-on-one situation with Yamal.

The Chelsea boss also found himself in the book once again for remonstrating with the fourth official after Cucurella was adjusted to have committed a foul metres away from him.

Slowly but surely, Maresca is beginning to endear himself to the Chelsea faithful and if he can mastermind another win over Arsenal in the Premier League this weekend, many will believe that he can lead the Blues to more and more success in the future.

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