Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona: Enzo Maresca’s exciting young side sent a real message to their Champions League rivals as they ran against the battered Spanish giants at Stamford Bridge.
The last time Chelsea beat Barcelona, they ended up winning the Champions League. With this victory, Chelsea will have dreams of winning again in Enzo Maresca’s 2025/26 class.
And teenager Estebao Willian’s sensational goal will long be remembered as the night he outclassed Barcelona’s teenage prodigy Lamine Yamal.
The last time Chelsea beat Barcelona was in the semi-finals in April 2012, when Didier Drogba famously scored the only goal at Stamford Bridge and then somehow scraped away a 2-2 draw against Lionel Messi and co at the Nou Camp.
The Blues won their first Champions League that year on an unforgettable night in Munich, and won it again in 2021 under manager Thomas Tuchel.
And Chelsea looked like a European powerhouse once again, putting in a breathtaking, dazzling performance to knock out 10-man Barcelona.
read more: UEFA reveals new angle of controversial Chelsea vs. Barcelona goal as fans rageread more: “I was humiliated and abused by Chelsea’s star player in front of the camera. I demanded that UEFA change the rules.”
This is another masterclass from Maresca, who seems to be stocking up on unexpected tactics for the big games, making you think he might have half a chance this season.
It was Maresca who got the better of Paris Saint-Germain in July’s Club World Cup final, and has already gotten past Liverpool and Tottenham in the big games this season, and once again got past Barcelona at Stamford Bridge.
These clubs have a lot of history, from Drogba’s on-camera rant after Barcelona’s last breathless win in 2009, to Jose Mourinho’s suspension and hiding in the laundry basket for his antics at the Camp Nou.
Maresca is not as sneaky as Mourinho, but he has the same thirst for trophies that saw him win the Europa Conference League, qualify for the Champions League and even qualify for the Club World Cup in his first season.
Despite second place, it’s hard to get too carried away as no one is giving Chelsea much of a chance in the Premier League title race.
But in a one-off match, Maresca seems to have a tactical master plan that can defeat the strongest, and that’s what he needs when the knockout stage begins. This time Pedro Neto played as a false nine and Reece James started in midfield, and it worked.
Barcelona certainly gave Chelsea a helping hand as Jules Kounde’s own goal gave the home side a first-half lead. And Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo, who has already been booked for dissent, received a second yellow card for harshly bringing down Marc Cucurella just before half-time.
To be honest, I almost understood it. Cucurella, who graduated from Barcelona B, epitomized Chelsea’s performance. Full of energy, speed and determination. They did not allow Barcelona a moment of peace.
Equally impressive, Chelsea kept their opponents clean, ending Barcelona’s incredible run of scoring in 24 consecutive games in this competition dating back two years.
Chelsea started at high speed but never let up on the gas. They twice put the ball in the net, but it was ruled out by VAR for offside. But 27 minutes later, third time was lucky.
Cucurella, a left-back, curiously darted out from the right flank and delivered a low cross. Kounde got into a nasty scuffle with Ferran Torres inside the six-yard box. In the end, Kunde unconsciously poured it into his own net.
It was 2-0 at the 55th minute as Estevao dominated the stage. As James played the ball forward, the 18-year-old Brazilian star beat Pau Kvarsi, kept Alejandro Balde at bay and smashed his shot into the roof of the net.
There was time until the third time. Enzo Fernandes stayed onside thanks to a VAR check and side-footed substitute Liam Delap.
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