Chelsea enjoyed a convincing 3-0 win over Barcelona in the Uefa Champions League on Tuesday night in front of an electric Stamford Bridge crowd.
The Blues had already had two goals chalked off prior to taking the lead when Marc Cucurella’s cross was deflected in by Jules Kounde. Things got worse for Hansi Flick's side when defender Ronald Araujo was dismissed for a second bookable offence just before half-time.
From then it was about how much damage Chelsea could inflict on their visitors. Brazilian forward Estevao scored his best goal in a Chelsea shirt yet following excellent footwork in the box.
“I don’t have any words to sum up how I’m feeling. It really was a perfect night. Onwards and upwards from here,” the 18-year-old said after the game.
“It was all very quick. I found some space, wiggled my way through, and scored that goal. It was such a special moment for me in my career.”
Liam Delap then put the match out of reach with a well-directed effort beyond the reach of Joan Garcia.
“It was a complicated match before we got the red card with 11 players. We tried to give everything to fight for the match, but the truth is they have great quality, and they knew how to find the spaces,” the Barcelona goalkeeper said during his post-match interview.
The win moved Chelsea up to fourth in theUefa Champions League table, while Barcelona dropped to 15th.
Chelsea player ratings
Robert Sanchez - 7/10: Chelsea’s goalkeeper was aggressive and was prepared to take players out to win the ball. Saved against Raphinha in the second half to maintain the three-goal lead.
Marc Cucurella - 8/10: An energetic presence on the left-flank and fared impressively against Lamine Yamal. He was involved in Chelsea’s opener after his cross was eventually directed in by Jules Kounde.
Trevoh Chalobah -7/10: Positioned well to block off passing lanes while using his pace to track runners. Penalised for being in an offside position when Chelsea had the ball in the net before they took the lead.
Wesley Fofana - 6/10: Didn’t draw much attention, which is always a good thing for a centre-back.
Malo Gusto - 6/10: Worked hard to maintain Chelsea’s press but was replaced by Andrey Santos at the break after being on the end of some heavy challenges.
Moises Caicedo - 7/10: Restricted space in midfield for Lamine Yamal to run into and linked well with Alejandro Garnacho.
Reece James - 6/10: Some careless play in midfield saw a pass picked off before a huge chance for Ferran Torres was missed. Moved to right-back in the second half and had plenty of the ball.
Alejandro Garnacho - 6/10: Always positive with his work down the left-flank but was unable to produce overall. Replaced by Liam Delap just before the hour mark.
Enzo Fernandez - 8/10: The Argentina international was frequently involved in Chelsea’s best pieces of attacking play and had the ball in the net on two occasions, both ruled out. He then set-up Liam Delap for the Blues’ third goal.
Estevao - 8/10: What a goal by Chelsea’s Brazilian star. After looking bright throughout the first half, Estevao produced a moment of magic as he majestically beat Pau Cubarsi before striking with conviction past Joan Garcia.
Pedro Neto - 7/10: His pace was a consistent problem for Barcelona, as the Portugal international was energetic and forced defenders out of position.
Substitutes
Andrey Santos (Gusto, 45’) - 7/10: Worked impressively alongside Moises Caicedo to help control the game for the Blues. Almost scored immediately after coming on, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Liam Delap (Garnacho, 59’) - 7/10: Occupied defenders with his presence inside the box and put the game out of reach with a pinpoint finish placed perfectly into the side of the goal.
Jamie Gittens (Neto, 75’) - N/A: Maintained pressure on Barcelona’s back line.
Josh Acheampong (James, 82’) - N/A: Enjoyed passing the ball around as Chelsea played out the rest of the game.
Tyrique George (Estevao, 82’) - N/A: Not involved much when introduced with Chelsea keeping the ball in defence and midfield as the fans chanted “Ole” to every pass.
Barcelona player ratings
Joan Garcia -3/10: Unconvincing overall having picked the ball out of his net on several occasions, and he was lucky that Chelsea were offside after he spilled an effort from Andrey Santos into his goal. Made a save against Pedro Neto.
Alejandro Balde - 4/10: The left-back got a vital touch to a cross that was headed for Estevao in the first half and won multiple duels, but it was during a key part of the game when Estevao found space away from him before scoring. He then played Enzo Fernandez onside for Chelsea’s third goal.
Pau Cubarsi - 4/10: A moment to forget against Estevao before Chelsea’s second goal. Lost another key duel against Pedro Neto but was saved by Joan Garcia.
Ronald Araujo - 2/10: A fifth career red card for the Uruguayan. Barcelona’s captain was dismissed in the 44th minute for a careless challenge. That moment effectively ended any Barca hopes.
Jules Kounde - 4/10: A mix-up with Fermin Lopez saw him block the ball back into his own goal for Chelsea's opener. Didn’t provide enough when going forward.
Frenkie De Jong - 5/10: Tried to get things under control for Barcelona in the second half but struggled with his team down to 10 players, which saw his passing become less accurate under heavy pressure from an aggressive Chelsea side.
Eric Garcia - 5/10: Kept things simple in midfield to allow more creative players to take risks. Moved back into defence after the hour mark.
Ferran Torres - 4/10: The story of the match could have been much different had Ferran Torres converted his big chance for Barcelona in the first half. That turned out to be his only big moment before he was replaced at half-time by Marcus Rashford.
Fermin Lopez - 4/10: Good early movement saw him get beyond Chelsea’s defensive line but he couldn’t get the right contact on Lewandowski’s pass. Quiet after that before being involved in the mix-up that saw Barcelona go 1-0 down.
Lamine Yamal - 4/10: The Barcelona star had some bright moments in the first half when cutting in on his favoured left-foot, but struggled to get the better of Spain compatriot Marc Cucurella down the line.
Robert Lewandowski -5/10: Dropped deep to hold up the ball against Chelsea’s aggressive press and looked to bring his teammates into play. Produced a fine ball that found Fermin Lopez in the first half which led to a chance. Anonymous after the restart when Barcelona went down to 10 men.
Substitutes
Marcus Rashford (Torres, 45’) -5/10 Not much time for him to run in behind due to Chelsea’s press, and when he did eventually get space on the right flank he was shut down by several blue shirts with Trevoh Chalobah making the challenge.
Raphinha (Lewandowski, 62’) - 5/10: Introduced for Lewandowski after the hour mark. Forced a save from Robert Sanchez with a placed effort towards the far corner.
Andreas Christensen (Fermin Lopez, 62’) - 5/10: Came on to help shore up the defence, but it was just 11 minutes before Chelsea scored their third of the evening.
Dani Olmo (Yamal, 80’) - N/R: An unenjoyable evening as he chased the ball while Chelsea defenders passed the ball around the back.
Gerard Martin (Balde, 80’) - N/R: Introduced for Alejandro Balde in the 80th minute.
Key findings of Jenkins report
Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
About Seez
Company name/date started: Seez, set up in September 2015 and the app was released in August 2017
Founder/CEO name(s): Tarek Kabrit, co-founder and chief executive, and Andrew Kabrit, co-founder and chief operating officer
Based in: Dubai, with operations also in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Lebanon
Sector: Search engine for car buying, selling and leasing
Size: (employees/revenue): 11; undisclosed
Stage of funding: $1.8 million in seed funding; followed by another $1.5m bridge round - in the process of closing Series A
Investors: Wamda Capital, B&Y and Phoenician Funds
Afcon 2019
SEMI-FINALS
Senegal v Tunisia, 8pm
Algeria v Nigeria, 11pm
Matches are live on BeIN Sports
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
On Women's Day
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The five pillars of Islam
Overview
Cricket World Cup League Two: Nepal, Oman, United States tri-series, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu
Fixtures
Wednesday February 5, Oman v Nepal
Thursday, February 6, Oman v United States
Saturday, February 8, United States v Nepal
Sunday, February 9, Oman v Nepal
Tuesday, February 11, Oman v United States
Wednesday, February 12, United States v Nepal
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
SPAIN SQUAD
Goalkeepers Simon (Athletic Bilbao), De Gea (Manchester United), Sanchez (Brighton)
Defenders Gaya (Valencia), Alba (Barcelona), P Torres (Villarreal), Laporte (Manchester City), Garcia (Manchester City), D Llorente (Leeds), Azpilicueta (Chelsea)
Midfielders Busquets (Barcelona), Rodri (Manchester City), Pedri (Barcelona), Thiago (Liverpool), Koke (Atletico Madrid), Ruiz (Napoli), M Llorente (Atletico Madrid)
Forwards: Olmo (RB Leipzig), Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Morata (Juventus), Moreno (Villarreal), F Torres (Manchester City), Traore (Wolves), Sarabia (PSG)
On Women's Day
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 2,000m
8.50pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; (D) 2,000m