Enzo Maresca's Chelsea may still be outside the top four but this weekend's 2-1 win over table-topping Liverpool lightened the mood inside Stamford Bridge entering the October international break – and Manchester City goal machine Erling Haaland was particularly impressed by one Blues star as they won late on.
The mood surrounding Maresca has taken a sour turn in recent times following a series of defeats – 3-1 to Bayern Munich, 2-1 to Manchester United and 3-1 to Brighton & Hove Albion – but a win over the Reds would've eased the pressure on his shoulders for now.
Moises Caicedo opened the goalscoring in the 14th with a beautifully-struck howitzer from outside the box before Cody Gakpo pegged the hosts back just after the hour mark at Stamford Bridge. Then, in dramatic fashion, teenage sensation Estevao popped up at the back stick to turn in Marc Cucurella's cross.
Watch the highlights from Chelsea's 2-1 win over Liverpool below:
Haaland Singles Out Chelsea Star Following 2-1 Win Over Liverpool
erling haaland
The Stamford Bridge faithful, elated at picking up three points against the reigning champions of the Premier League, erupted into raptures as a sea of blue shirts ran to celebrate with the match-winning 18-year-old. Even Chelsea boss Maresca joined the ruckus to earn himself his second yellow card of the evening.
At full-time, Estevao – who has earned the nickname 'Messinho' for his low centre of gravity and wicked turn of pace that allows him to beat players similarly to the Argentine – collapsed to the floor in jubilation.
Estevao
The full-time noise was justified, too. Chelsea were a side who had gone an entire month without a win in the Premier League and Estevao's last-gasp winner marked his breakthrough into proceedings, establishing himself as a key man for the reigning Europa Conference League and Club World Cup champions.
Haaland is among those captivated by the young phenomenon. The Manchester City striker watched the all-intense match-up and shared a snap of the Brazilian celebrating on his Snapchat – the picture was captioned 'wonderkid' as one of the greatest strikers in world football showed his seal of approval.
Chelsea have repeatedly relied on the brilliance of Cole Palmer since his arrival from Manchester City – but with the Englishman currently sidelined, Estevao could take over the mantle of stepping up in the more difficult moments, as evidenced by his latest display in Chelsea blue.
He initially agreed to join the west Londoners in the summer of 2025, but the 18-year-old – commonly admired as one of the best young players in the Premier League – remained at Palmeiras until he reached the age of 18 due to restrictions.
Plying his trade back in his homeland, the Brazilian became the youngest player to be named ESPN Brazil's Player of the Year, while he also caught the attention of the Brazilian national team. He's now chalked up seven caps for Brazil and the teenage sensation notched his first international goal in a 3-0 win over Chile.
estevao
Since switching Brazil for England officially, the blistering wide man has scored and assisted one apiece in nine appearances across all competitions. The 2007-born star has not hit the ground running like others have in the past, but delivering the final blow to Liverpool could be the start of something special.