Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona

Estevao and Liam Delap were among the goals as Chelsea handed a comprehensive 3-0 beating to Barcelona at Stamford Bridge yesterday. In a match which was perhaps surprisingly dominated by Chelsea even when both teams had 11 men on the pitch, a red card for Ronald Araujo only made matters worse for the side from Catalonia. Hansi Flick’s record of 35 consecutive games where his team has scored in the Champions League also ended with the 3-0 loss.

Enzo Maresca started the match without a recognized number 9 as Pedro Neto was up top in the 4231, flanked by Alejandro Garnacho and Estevao on the left and right, with Enzo Fernandez in attacking midfield. Eric Garcia, Frenkie De Jong and Fermin were the three in midfield for Barca, with Ferran Torres, Robert Lewandowski and Lamine in attack.

From minute 1, the UEFA Champions League match at Stamford Bridge saw Chelsea seize the initiative against Barcelona, ultimately resulting in a comprehensive 3-0 victory for the home side.

The match began with early drama at both ends of the pitch. In the 5th minute, Barcelona had a clear opportunity to take the lead, but Ferran Torres squandered a simple chance after receiving a lovely pass from Lamine Yamal, hitting his shot maddeningly wide.

Chelsea immediately responded a minute later, with Enzo Fernández believing he had scored after latching onto a Wesley Fofana cutback. However, the goal was immediately disallowed for a handball by Fofana in the build-up.

Chelsea continued their aggressive start, and in the 17th minute, a second goal was disallowed. Enzo Fernández headed into an empty net from Estêvão’s free-kick delivery, but the flag was up for offside. VAR confirmed the decision.

The breakthrough finally came in the 27th minute, giving Chelsea a deserved lead. From a short corner routine, Marc Cucurella whipped in a cross that was flicked on by Pedro Neto, leading to confusion where Barcelona defender Jules Koundé bundled the ball into his own net, registering an unfortunate Own Goal.

The game’s dynamics changed drastically in the minutes leading up to halftime due to disciplinary action. Barcelona’s Ronald Araújo was shown a Yellow Card in the 32nd minute. Chelsea’s Malo Gusto was also shown a Yellow Card for a bad foul in the 40th minute. The most crucial moment then occurred in the 44th minute when Ronald Araújo was shown his second yellow card and a red card for a clumsy tackle on Marc Cucurella after already being booked. This meant Barcelona would have to play the entire second half with ten men.

Both managers reacted to the red card with substitutions at halftime. Chelsea brought on Andrey Santos to replace Malo Gusto, who was on a booking, allowing Reece James to shift to full-back. Barcelona opted to bring on Marcus Rashford to replace Ferran Torres.

The second half began with Chelsea continuing to dominate the attack, even having a third goal ruled out in the 51st minute when Andrey Santos scored, but the goal was ruled out for offside in the build-up. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca then received a Yellow Card in the 52nd minute.

Chelsea doubled their lead three minutes later with a moment of brilliance. In the 55th minute, Estêvão scored a sensational solo goal. He took the ball, ran at Pau Cubarsí, wriggled past defenders, and smashed a right-footed shot into the roof of the net.

Following the goal, Chelsea made an attacking change in the 59th minute, with Liam Delap replacing Alejandro Garnacho. Barcelona responded with a double substitution in the 62nd minute, bringing on Andreas Christensen for Fermín López and Raphinha for Robert Lewandowski.

In the 70th minute, Chelsea created another opportunity when Pedro Neto embarked on a high-speed run, entered the box, and aimed for the bottom left, but Barcelona keeper Joan García blocked the shot at the near post.

The final goal of the evening arrived in the 73rd minute. Liam Delap scored the third goal. Enzo Fernández was slipped clear by Neto and squared the ball to Delap, who whipped a sidefoot into the bottom right. The goal was initially flagged offside but was awarded after a VAR review.

In the 75th minute, Jamie Gittens replaced Pedro Neto for Chelsea. Barcelona then made a final double substitution in the 80th minute, with Dani Olmo replacing Lamine Yamal and Gerard Martín replacing Alejandro Balde. Chelsea completed their changes in the 82nd minute, with Tyrique George replacing Estêvão and Josh Acheampong replacing Reece James.

In the 90th minute, Barcelona attempted to salvage a consolation goal, but Andreas Christensen tried a long-range effort and sent it miles wide of the goal. Three additional minutes were announced. The match concluded with the Full Time score of Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona, securing a decisive victory for Chelsea and helping them move up in the Champions League league phase standings.