Enzo Maresca certainly won the battle of the two managers when Chelsea beat Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in the Champions League.
The Blues exposed Barcelona’s high line on multiple occasions, winning 3-0 and also seeing three goals disallowed for offside and handball.
Maresca decided to play Pedro Neto up front to create the most opportunities, but would have been overjoyed to see Liam Delap score his first Champions League goal off the bench.
Who was your Player of the Match vs Barcelona?
It was a frustrating evening for Hansi Flick, whose side were already struggling before Ronald Araujo’s red card added to their woes late in the first half.
Chelsea FC v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Phase MD5
Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
Hansi Flick wants his Barcelona players to be more like Chelsea stars
The German admitted that Chelsea fully deserved their victory, and asked for his players to replicate how the Blues dealt with 1v1 situations all over the pitch.
He told journalist Bobby Vincent: “When you see Chelsea, they play more dynamic in the one-v-one situations. This is what I want from my team.
“Sometimes we try to control the game, but here against a club playing in the Premier League, second in the table, it’s not like that. We have to fight a little bit more and play more aggressively.”
Chelsea’s attackers had their way with their opponents at Stamford Bridge, with Estevao Willian’s incredible goal the highlight of a fantastic team performance.
Estevao celebrates goal for Chelsea against Barcelona
Photo by Chris Lee – Chelsea FC/Chelsea FC via Getty Images
Marc Cucurella shuts down Lamine Yamal as Barcelona struggle
The majority of Barcelona’s hopes relied upon Lamine Yamal, up against international colleague Marc Cucurella.
The winger’s night was summed up by the ironic jeer he received from Chelsea fans when he was subbed off late in the second half.
The highlights from Chelsea’s dominant victory over Barcelona!
Cucurella completely nullified the threat of Yamal even when there were 11 men on the pitch, and was rewarded with the UEFA Player of the Match reward for his performance.
The Spaniard is going to be key for Chelsea when they face Arsenal at the weekend, and he is the best player in the world right now to deal with the threat of Bukayo Saka.