To the delight of Chelsea fans, Estevao was named in the starting line-up against Barcelona, but just a few days earlier, the Blues' head coach was facing questions from the media over why the wonderkid did not feature in the Premier League win over Burnley. At the time, Maresca admitted that if the player was disappointed, he would not be playing in Tuesday night's game, but Estevao clearly proved himself in training and then went one step further on the pitch.
While Maresca was keen to praise the winger, he took the opportunity to congratulate his entire team. He said:"It was a huge night for him [Estevao], but I think it is also a huge night for the whole club and all the fans. It is a very nice for everyone. It is a good win. To be honest, it was no more than that. We knew how important this game was, but they are all important games. When you beat Barcelona, it is always nice so we are happy today.
"Barcelona are a team that feel comfortable when they have the ball. If they don't have the ball, they don't feel comfortable so we tried to keep the ball. Even 11v11, my feeling was very good because the team was playing well. The defensive part is always important because you need balance. Fortunately, in the last month, we have started finishing games with clean sheets in the Premier League. It's something you need to do if you want to achieve important things."