Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in a dominant Champions League group stage performance. They controlled the game from the start and rarely let the visitors get comfortable. VAR took away two goals from the home team in the first half. But an own goal by Jules Kounde and a great goal by Estevao set up a comfortable win that Liam Delap later capped off.
Enzo Maresca’s team thought they were ahead after the first five minutes when Enzo Fernandez finished off a nice play, but VAR saw Wesley Fofana’s handball in the buildup. Another goal was ruled out for offside, but Kounde scored an open goal to open the floodgates.
Barcelona’s problems got worse when Ronald Araujo was sent off just before half-time after getting two yellow cards, the second for a reckless challenge on Marc Cucurella. After the break, Estevao danced past two defenders to score a second goal, and Delap added another after a VAR check for offside as Chelsea cruised to the final whistle.
After the Blues played well against the Spanish team, here are their player ratings.
Player ratings for Chelsea vs Barcelona
Robert Sanchez: 7/10—He didn’t have much to do for long stretches because Chelsea controlled the field and the ball, but he stayed alert when needed and got a routine clean sheet.
Malo Gusto: 5/10—steady but not impressive. Supported attacks on and off down the right before being replaced at half-time. This led to a reshuffle that moved Reece James to the full-back position.
Wesley Fofana: 7/10—He worked well with Chalobah to keep the back line in check, spotting danger early and limiting Barcelona’s forwards to half-chances. He didn’t make many mistakes, except for the early VAR incident.
Trevoh Chalobah: 7/10—Like Fofana, he kept his cool and stepped out of defense to help Chelsea keep the ball and stop transitions. Barely looked worried, even before the red card made things even better for the home team.
Marc Cucurella: 9/10—Great on the left. Handled the threat of Lamine Yamal very well, winning duels every time and timing his tackles perfectly. He was also important in the first goal because he helped set it up, and he was tackled for the second yellow card that sent Araujo off.
Reece James: 8/10—He primarily played in the middle and set the pace of the game while also making smart connections between players. Made an excellent pass for Estevao’s goal, then moved to right-back and was taken off the field to a lot of applause late in the game.
Moises Caicedo: 8/10—At the base of midfield, he kept the ball moving and stopped Barcelona’s rare attacks. His position let the more creative players in front of him do their best work.
Enzo Fernandez: 8/10—He was important the whole time, always finding space and testing Barcelona’s defense. He was unlucky when an early goal was disallowed, but he made up for it by threading the pass that set up Delap for Chelsea’s last goal.
Alejandro Garnacho: 5/10—A quieter outing than his teammates. Had a hard time getting into the game and was taken out just before the hour mark after mostly being on the sidelines.
Estevao: 10/10—He lived up to the hype before the match in his fight with Lamine Yamal. He was always ready to get the ball, and his dribbling drove defenders crazy. He finished off his performance with a great solo goal and got a well-deserved ovation when he was taken off late in the game.
Pedro Neto: 6/10—He worked hard and always tried to attack his full-back, but he couldn’t finish. He missed two clear chances that should have put him on the scoresheet, but his hard work that led to Kounde’s own goal was what made the difference.
Chelsea Substitutes:
Andrey Santos: 6/10—came on at halftime and played in the middle with a lot of energy. Took up good positions around the box and could have scored if they had been more accurate with their shots.
Liam Delap: 8/10—He made an immediate impact after coming on in the 59th minute, pressing hard and stretching Barcelona’s tired defense. Finished off Chelsea’s performance with a calm finish for the late goal that sealed the win.
Jamie Gittens: 6/10—He helped keep the intensity up in the last third, which kept Barcelona from getting ahead and building momentum.
Josh Acheampong: 5/10—Gave the team fresh legs in the last few minutes and took advantage of the chance to get some crucial minutes while keeping things simple on defense.
Tyrique George: 5/10—He came on late and handled the ball well when he got the chance. He also helped Chelsea manage the game in the last few minutes.