Chelsea secured a 3-0 victory over a Barcelona side reduced to ten men at Stamford Bridge, a result that keeps the club well placed to advance to the Champions League last 16.
The match saw an early own goal by Jules Kounde set Chelsea on the front foot. Later, 18-year-old winger Estevao produced a fine solo strike, cutting inside Pau Cubarsi, gliding past Alejandro Balde and firing a shot that could not be stopped. Liam Delap added a third goal, his first since the pre-season Club World Cup, to complete the scoring.
Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo received a second yellow card in the first half and was sent off, leaving his team a man down for the remainder of the game.
On the significance of the win, manager Enzo Maresca was measured and clear that results must be seen in context. He said simply that “nothing has changed” for the Blues.
Reflecting after the match, Maresca praised the display but looked ahead to the next challenge, saying: “It’s a big win, especially because it was Barcelona, but nothing’s changed in terms of what team we are and what we can achieve,” and added: “Now we focus on the next one. The feeling was very good. At home with our fans, it’s way nice to share this kind of moment. Now, next 48 hours completely switch off, have a rest, recover energy.
“We need to keep the momentum. It’s much easier to recover energy when you win games.”
Chelsea will host Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, and the side will aim to build on this performance as they seek to close the gap at the top of the table.
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