Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso in the dugout at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso in the dugout at Stamford Bridge
The winger has been very impressive as the Blues beat Manchester United last week, but the Spaniard decided to start him from the bench anyway.
Enzo Le Fee's penalty ultimately decided the contest, with the London club finding themselves on the end of two unfortunate refereeing decisions.
Estevao came on at half-time and had an instant impact, but could not help Chelsea to find the equaliser.
The Brazilian's minutes under Alonso have been a constant topic of discussion this season so far, with Sunday's decision likely to reignite the conversation.
Estevao has started just once in the Premier League so far this season, with his eventual start at Man United seemingly coming when the Spaniard could no longer ignore the clamour.
Defeat.#CFC | #SUNCHE pic.twitter.com/HxLPNDWYhM
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) November 8, 2026
Estevao exposes Xabi Alonso's mistake
Against Man United, Chelsea started with Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo in a two-man midfield.
The Spaniard made the interesting decision to deploy Pedro Neto through the middle of the attack, with Cole Palmer situated behind him and Morgan Rogers and Estevao to his left and right.
It was far from a perfect performance, but Chelsea did emerge victorious and it was expected that a similar team would be fielded against Sunderland.
But Alonso had different plans, bringing Jordan Henderson into a three-man midfield and giving up an attacker - Estevao.
It quickly became clear that it was not working, and Estevao came on for Levi Colwill at the break, with Caicedo dropping into the defence.
In just 45 minutes, the winger completed 84 per cent of his attempted passes and created a big chance.
His five touches in the opposition box were the most of any Chelsea player, and his three successful dribbles was more than anybody else on the pitch.
Estevao completed a cross, made two recoveries and won four duels but it was too late, Alonso's mistake had proved costly.
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Alonso must throw caution to the wind
It can only be assumed that Alonso was concerned about Sunderland's threat on Sunday, leading him to deploy a three-man midfield.
But in dropping Estevao, Chelsea lost a significant amount of threat and clearly suffered in attack.
With pressure beginning to mount on the Spaniard, who has struggled to produce consistent performances for Chelsea, caution must go out of the window.
Estevao must be one of the first names on the team sheet, with the Blues set to benefit massively.