Chelsea demolished Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge in the UEFA Champions League, with Brazilian wonderkid Estevao stealing the show, prompting Thierry Henry to compare him with a Man Utd legend.
Estevao celebrates a goal.
Estevao dazzled at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night.(Image: James Gill - Danehouse, Getty Images)
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Chelsea sent shockwaves through Europe on Tuesday night, as they demolished Catalan giants Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. The task of welcoming Barca in the Champions League was always going to be daunting, given the calibre of their team.
This was evident early on when Ferran Torres had a clear shot at goal but astonishingly missed, leaving the crowd in disbelief. Chelsea seized the moment, scoring off a smart corner routine which resulted in a Jules Kounde own-goal, just before Barcelona were reduced to 10-men due to Ronald Araujo receiving his second yellow card before half-time.
Enzo Maresca's side kept up the pressure, with Estevao's superb solo effort doubling their lead after the break. It was further capitalised on when Pedro Neto found room behind the Barca defence, setting up Liam Delap for an easy goal.
Three goals, three points and a resounding message to the rest of Europe that Chelsea mean business summed up a triumphant night for the Blues. Among the standout performers was Estevao, whose dazzling footwork and skills echoed those of many legendary players at Stamford Bridge, thrilling the fans.
Following another stellar performance, the young Brazilian has received heaps of praise, including a comparison from Thierry Henry. Speaking on CBS Sports, the former Arsenal player said of Estevao: "You wouldn't like to play against him.
"I'm not saying that you wouldn't be able to stop him, but he's coming at you all the time. He's reminding me of, I know it's early doors, but that's why I think Ryan Giggs was one of the best because he was coming at you for all the game.
"Whether he's having a good game or not a good game, he's trying to test you all the time and see if you're going to stop him or not. That's how it is as a winger."
Thierry Henry watches on.
Thierry Henry gave a glowing review of Estevao.
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It's significant praise for the teenager, who's adapted well to the Premier League and Champions League. The 18-year-old officially arrived from Palmeiras during the summer in a transfer worth £29million, which may well prove exceptional value if he maintains his current trajectory.
In only 17 appearances, Estevao has netted five times and provided one assist, while being carefully integrated into the squad by Maresca. Should he achieve anything approaching Giggs' illustrious career, it would represent an outstanding success - the Welsh legend featured in over 900 matches for Manchester United, recording 168 goals and 270 assists.
When questioned after the match about managing Estevao's minutes, and whether it becomes more challenging to limit his game-time given such performances, Maresca replied: "No, to be honest. Because, for when he doesn't play, Pedro Neto plays wide in his position.
"And Pedro is good. And we're happy with Pedro. We try just to defend the game plan, we use 11 players. Tonight, we decided, probably in the most difficult game of the season, we decided to play with Estevao.
Ryan Giggs runs with the ball.
Man Utd legend Ryan Giggs was a force to be reckoned with in his prime.
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"So I'm not a manager that I don't allow players to play minutes. It's just the game-plan. The game-plan always decides the first XI. It's the reason why we changed so much.
"And you say that we are unpredictable. But it's the game-plan. The game-plan defines the first 11. Now, the next one is Arsenal. The game-plan is not always good, sometimes it's also wrong.
"It defines the first XI. And Estevao, when the game plan is for him, he's going to play. And for sure he's going to play many games because he's very good."
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