Tag: Chelsea

Estevao scored a breathtaking solo Champions League goal to win the battle of the teenage prodigies against Lamine Yamal on Tuesday as Chelsea humbled 10-man Barcelona 3-0.

The two 18-year-olds were the focus of attention in the build-up to the game at Stamford Bridge, with Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca urging his player to ignore the comparisons.

Estevao’s moment of magic came 10 minutes after half-time, when he received the ball on the right, beat two defenders, and lashed it into the roof of Joan Garcia’s net.

It was the 10th goal of the season for club and country for the winger, just months into his first campaign at Chelsea.

The Brazilian said it was the best moment of his career so far, in front of his watching family.

“I don’t really have any words to sum up how I’m feeling right now,” he told Amazon Prime. “It really was the perfect night. I’m just grateful to God for everything that has happened to me. Onwards and upwards from here.”

Speaking about his spectacular goal, he said: “It all happened very quickly for me, it sort of happened before I knew it.

“I just found some space, wiggled my way through and then scored that goal. It was such a special moment for me in my career. I hope to score many more.”

Estevao’s goal gave Barcelona, already trailing 1-0 and down to 10 men, a mountain to climb and substitute Liam Delap put the game to bed in the 73rd minute, sidefooting home from close range.

The lopsided scoreline was just reward for two-time European champions Chelsea, who were superior from the first whistle against a pallid Barcelona team.

The game had started at a frantic pace.

Enzo Fernandez bundled the ball into the net in the fourth minute, only for the goal to be ruled out due to a handball by Wesley Fofana.

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Two minutes later, Ferran Torres seemed certain to score at the other end when clean through with only Robert Sanchez to beat, but he skewed wide.

The game then drifted before Chelsea again upped the tempo.

Fernandez again had the ball in the net, but this time it was disallowed for an offside and moments later Pedro Neto blazed over the bar.

But the home side’s pressure finally paid off in the 27th minute following a short-corner routine.

The ball was eventually whipped into the box, and Barcelona tied themselves in knots, Jules Kounde poking the ball into his own net.

The game took a decisive turn moments before half-time when Barcelona captain Ronald Araujo received a second yellow card for a poor challenge on Marc Cucurella.

Chelsea maintained their intensity in the second half and were richly rewarded with the goals from Estevao and Delap, while five-time Champions League winners Barcelona offered little.

The Stamford Bridge fans taunted the ineffective Yamal after Estevao scored and jeered when he was substituted late in the game.

Maresca’s men, back in the Champions League after two years away, have now won three of their first five games to give themselves a fighting chance of finishing in the top eight.

That would mean automatic qualification for the last 16.

The club are also picking up momentum in the Premier League, sitting second in the table ahead of Sunday’s home match against leaders Arsenal.

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Enzo Maresca has played down comparisons between rival teenage wingers Estevao and Lamine Yamal on the eve of Chelsea’s Champions League clash against Barcelona on Tuesday.

Estevao, 18, has caught the eye since arriving at Stamford Bridge in July, with nine goals for club and country.

Chelsea manager Maresca was asked at his pre-match press conference on Monday whether Spain international Yamal, just three months younger than Estevao, would be a good role model for his player.

But the Italian said the Brazilian was already established at the top level despite his tender years.

“Estevao is already playing at a high level, he is already in the starting eleven with Brazil,” Maresca told reporters. “For sure he is very young, he can do many things better, but we are very happy with him.

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“It’s nice for people that love football to watch players like Estevao, like Lamine Yamal, like (Barcelona midfielder) Pedri. This is the beauty of football.”

Maresca said Estevao must shut out the noise.

“He is going to be for sure an important player for this club,” he said. “For the future, no doubt.

“He has to be happy. He has not to think about being better than this player or the other player.

“He has just to be better than himself day by day. Try to work hard, improve.”

Maresca added Chelsea forward Cole Palmer was making good progress after suffering a toe injury but that he was unlikely to be available to face Barcelona or Arsenal this coming weekend.

“Cole is wearing a (protective) boot,” Maresca said. “We don’t know when he will be back but for sure it will be soon.

“He’s already on the pitch, he’s already touching the ball and the feeling (for him) is good.

Barcelona are 11th in the league phase of Europe’s top club competition with seven points after four matches — the same number as Chelsea.

Maresca said he had been strongly influenced by the possession-based style of Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, who were twice champions of Europe during the now Manchester City manager’s time in charge at the Nou Camp between 2008 and 2012.

“I decided to be a manager because of Pep’s team, Barcelona, years ago,” explained Maresca.

“Now, if clubs or teams decide with different style, I said many times that any club, any team can decide in the way they want to play. I chose mine years ago and this will be the way I like to watch my team in football and also in the future.”

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Chelsea stepped up their Premier League title challenge with a gritty 2-0 win against struggling Burnley on Saturday.

Pedro Neto put the Blues ahead just before the interval at Turf Moor, and Enzo Fernandez netted in the closing stages.

Enzo Maresca’s side climb to second place and sit three points behind leaders Arsenal, who host Tottenham on Sunday.

The Blues have won eight of their last 10 matches in all competitions, making it a memorable 50th Premier League game in charge for Maresca.

It was the ideal warm-up for Chelsea ahead of a crucial week featuring home games against Barcelona in the Champions League on Tuesday and Arsenal in the Premier League on November 30.

The west Londoners would drop back down to third place if Manchester City avoids defeat against Newcastle later on Saturday, but regardless of that result, their hard-fought victory in freezing Lancashire added to their title momentum.

Fourth-bottom Burnley have now lost five of their last seven league matches.

Chelsea were without Cole Palmer after the England forward extended his prolonged injury absence by fracturing his toe after stubbing it on a door.

Palmer had been set to resume training this week after two months out with a groin problem.

Adding to Maresca’s issues, fatigued Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo was left on the bench after arriving back from international duty on Thursday.

Maresca had complained about Chelsea being given the early Saturday kick-off again.

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His mood wasn’t improved in the fifth minute when Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez accidentally booted the ball into Fernandez’s head, a miscue that left the Argentine midfielder needing a brief concussion check.

Fernandez was able to play on, and despite that painful interlude, Chelsea eventually took control.

Neto’s effort from the edge of the area deflected wide before Jamie Gittens lashed over from a tight angle.

Kyle Walker bailed out Burnley on his 400th Premier League appearance with a last-ditch block to stop Gittens tapping in Neto’s cross.

Chelsea’s Trevoh Chalobah was fortunate not to concede a farcical penalty when the defender used his hand to stop Sanchez’s pass inside his own area before returning the ball to the ‘keeper.

Sanchez appeared not to have restarted play, instead letting Chalobah take the goal-kick so Burnley’s hopes of a penalty were dashed.

Maresca’s men made the most of that let-off to take the lead with a well-crafted goal in the 37th minute.

Marc Cucurella showed a deft touch to control a high ball into the Burnley area before passing back to Gittens.

Lofting a pin-point cross to the far post, Gittens picked out Neto and he delivered with a superb diving header into the far corner.

Neto’s fourth goal this season was almost followed by another for Chelsea as Liam Delap’s drive forced a save from Martin Dubravka.

Gittens’ deflected strike flashed just wide early in the second half.

Neto, picked out by Fernandez’s pass, was inches away from doubling Chelsea’s lead as his fierce blast cannoned into the near post.

Unmarked inside the Chelsea area, Zian Flemming wasted Burnley’s best opportunity to snatch an equaliser with a wild shot that cleared the bar.

But Fernandez put the result beyond doubt in the 88th minute, capping a flowing move with a clinical close-range finish from Marc Guiu’s pass.

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca has defended his policy of making regular wholesale changes to his team after criticism from Wayne Rooney that his approach is disruptive.

The Blues made seven changes for Wednesday’s disappointing 2-2 draw against Qarabag in Baku in the Champions League — the fifth game in a row in which the Italian had made at least that number of changes.

In all this season, Chelsea have made 85 alterations to their starting line-ups in all competitions, far more than any other Premier League side. The next closest are Liverpool, with 69.

Rooney used his BBC Sport show on Thursday to question whether players can build relationships when they rarely know who they will line up alongside.

But Maresca stood by his decisions ahead of Chelsea’s meeting with managerless Wolves on Saturday, pointing out that football has changed from the days when the former England and Manchester United forward played.

“We are in an era where anyone can say what they want,” he said on Friday, referring to Rooney’s remarks. “Since I joined the club, it’s my view to rotate players. No one complains when you win. When you don’t win, I can understand that no one agrees.

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“I loved rotation as a player. Football is a bit different compared to years ago in terms of physicality and intensity. It’s impossible to play with the same players 65 games in one season.

“You cannot say: ‘Why, years ago, was it possible?’ Because it was different. It was not so physical. I played for 20 years. Now it’s changed. You need to rotate.

“If you want to see the season like a marathon — when you are in February and March, the last sprint, you have to think in a different way. But it’s a long race.”

There was particular criticism directed at Maresca in Baku over his decisions in defence, with 19-year-old Jorrel Hato at fault for both goals conceded.

“When the rotation is Andrey Santos, a Brazilian international, and Jorrel Hato, a Dutch international, and Estevao, a Brazilian international, then it’s not about rotation,” he said.

“They are talented, they are young. When they are young, you have to give them a chance to make mistakes. But when you don’t win games, the problem is rotation.”

Chelsea are seventh in the Premier League table ahead of their trip to basement club Wolves.

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Tottenham Hotspur coach Thomas Frank stated he won’t take risks over the fitness of Cristian Romero as the club captain prepares to return against Chelsea on Saturday.

Romero has not featured for Tottenham since the start of October due to an adductor issue, but Frank is set to involve the Argentine for Chelsea’s visit to north London.

The centre-back also returned for the corresponding fixture last December, only to suffer another injury and miss three months as a result.

Frank is confident Romero is fully ready to feature, but will take the blame if there is another injury issue for the 27-year-old.

“The positive news is that Romero, Destiny (Udogie) and Wilson (Odobert) are available for selection for Saturday,” Frank told reporters on Friday.

“I am fully aware of the importance of making the best possible decisions. While I will receive a lot of information from the medical staff and performance team, ultimately, the responsibility rests with me.”

“If a player breaks down, it is on me. It is not on the medical staff, not on the performance staff, always me.

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“I take decisions, I get all the information and then I have to take a difficult choice or a braver choice, or an easy choice, so that is it.

“If Romero was fit enough, he would have been involved on Wednesday (against Newcastle), but he is ready to be involved and let’s see how he is.”

Chelsea have won the last four meetings with rivals Tottenham, including two memorable fixtures in N17 under Frank’s predecessor, Ange Postecoglou.

Postecoglou infamously made Tottenham play a high defensive line despite being down to nine men for a large chunk of a 2023 clash, which ended in a 4-1 defeat.

“It was entertaining and we are in the entertainment business aren’t we? I remember the first, was that with nine men and 4-1? Yeah, I remember that one. That was crazy, but yeah, that is in the past,” said Frank, whose side are currently third in the Premier League.

“Some games we are a part of that everyone will remember for whatever reason and hopefully we are part of a game everyone will remember tomorrow and we come out on the winning side.

“It’s a London derby between two big rivals, there is so much on it and against a very good Chelsea team. Under the floodlights, it has got everything to be a top game.”

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Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca says he will continue to rotate his side as they attempt to compete on four fronts this season.

The Blues visit Wolves in the League Cup fourth round on Wednesday, looking to bounce back from a 2-1 home loss to Sunderland in the Premier League.

Maresca has been using the depth of his large squad this season, making 10 changes for their 5-1 Champions League win over Ajax last week.

“We need to rotate,” Maresca said on Tuesday. “We need to protect the players because if we go with the same XI, we are going to struggle during the season.

“We probably will make some changes against Wolves, I don’t know how many, but we will make changes.

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“I don’t know if it’s going to be nine or 10 like it was from (Nottingham) Forest to Ajax, but for sure, we need to make some to rotate and help protect the players.”

Striker Liam Delap, signed from relegated Ipswich, could return for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in August.

“Liam completed the whole session with us yesterday with no problems, and he is available for tomorrow,” Maresca said.

“We have to be careful with Liam and (it is unlikely he will play) 90 minutes, no. He has been out for two months, so he needs to be gradually brought back up to 100 percent.”

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Cole Palmer has been ruled out of action for six more weeks with a groin problem, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said on Friday.

The England midfielder has not played since Chelsea’s 2-1 defeat at Manchester United on September 20 — when he came off midway through the first half.

Maresca initially said he hoped Palmer, 23, would be back after this month’s international break.

“I was wrong. Unfortunately, he needs to be out probably six more weeks. So, yes, this is the update,” he said.

The Italian, whose team travels to struggling Nottingham Forest on Saturday, said he was confident Palmer would not require surgery.

“We try just to protect Cole as much as we can, and the most important thing is that when he comes back, he’s fully recovered,” he added.

Maresca was asked at his pre-match press conference whether he was confident the extra rest would solve the issue.

“Yeah, but unfortunately, the medical staff are not magicians, you never know that,” he said.

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“Probably you need six weeks. We hope that six weeks will be enough, but it’s a problem that we need to see step by step, week after week. But for sure he’s going to be OK.”

Maresca said replacing “one of the best players in the Premier League” was difficult.

“For sure, we need to find a different solution, we need to find different skills, because we don’t have another player like Cole,” he said. “Because Cole is unique.”

Chelsea have also been beset by injury problems in defence, with the in-form Benoit Badiashile out “until December”.

“He was doing fantastic, he showed how good he is, he showed how we need him, and we’re going to wait for him,” said the Chelsea boss.

However, Tosin Adarabioyo, Wesley Fofana, and Reece James have overcome issues to be in contention to face Forest.

Maresca will be suspended for the trip to Nottingham after being sent off for his wild celebrations following Estevao’s late winner against Liverpool on October 4.

“The first reason is because since I joined the club we never won a game at home in the last minute,” he said, explaining his reaction.

“The other reason is because we were playing against the champions of England, they won the last Premier League, so it was an important moment for sure.

“For me personally it was just a reaction, just a passionate moment, just a normal reaction.”

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Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca believes Cole Palmer will avoid groin surgery after the England forward was forced off during Saturday’s defeat against Manchester United.

Palmer has made just two Premier League starts this season and lasted only 21 minutes at Old Trafford before limping to the sidelines in a game Chelsea lost 2-1.

Asked whether the 23-year-old will need an operation on an injury that has been troubling him for a while, Maresca told reporters: “The medical staff, they didn’t mention to me about surgery.

“I don’t know if in the next days or the next weeks, but I don’t think so, to be honest.

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“He made a huge effort on Saturday to try to play the game. He did the test, he was OK but not 100 percent. But he wanted to be there to help his team-mates and to be there in that kind of game.

“Unfortunately, it was painful so we decided to change it. And it’s more day-by-day, week-by-week, game-by-game to see how it is and then decide what we do.”

Palmer is likely to miss Chelsea’s League Cup third-round tie at third-tier Lincoln on Tuesday, with Romeo Lavia and Benoit Badiashile also ruled out.

Maresca is likely to select several youth academy players but the Italian conceded it was a risky strategy given the potential for a cup upset against a team flying high in League One.

“These are the games that worry me most, because you can slip up very easily,” he said. “Football is full of these kind of games and I am very worried about that.”

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Manchester United eased the pressure on beleaguered boss Ruben Amorim with a chaotic 2-1 win against Chelsea as both teams finished with 10 men at Old Trafford.

Fighting to avoid the sack after a woeful start to the season, Amorim received a welcome boost when Chelsea goalkeeper Robert Sanchez was sent off after just five minutes of Saturday’s clash.

Bruno Fernandes quickly put United ahead with his 100th goal for the club in all competitions in his 200th Premier League appearance.

Casemiro doubled United’s lead before the Brazil midfielder was dismissed for a second booking in first-half stoppage time.

Trevoh Chalobah’s late reply for Chelsea set up a tense finale, but United held on for just their second win in six matches in all competitions this term.

Having kicked off languishing just above the relegation zone, Amorim’s side climbed to ninth place to give the Portuguese coach a little breathing space.

“I felt the urgency. Of course, the Sanchez sending off helped us, but we had the red card with Casemiro. We like to complicate our game always,” Amorim said.

“It is really important to win because I understand the situation around this club.

“I have nothing to say to the critics, and most of the time they are right. Today we won, and it is a good day for us.”

Amorim, who has won just nine of his 32 Premier League matches, shouldn’t rest on his laurels just yet.

After presiding over United’s lowest top-flight finish since 1973-74 and a limp Europa League final loss to Tottenham last term, Amorim spent big in the summer to overhaul his moribund team.

But United suffered an embarrassing League Cup exit at fourth-tier Grimsby in August before last weekend’s 3-0 loss at Manchester City underlined the vast gulf to their rivals.

Former Sporting Lisbon boss Amorim, who replaced the sacked Erik ten Hag in November, insists he retains the backing of co-owner Jim Ratcliffe after speaking to the British billionaire at the club’s training ground on Thursday.

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Ratcliffe was in the directors’ box at rain-lashed Old Trafford to see if his support for Amorim was well placed.

With storm clouds gathering for Amorim, he stuck with his much-criticised 3-4-3 formation after joking this week that even the Pope could not make him change his tactics.

The move paid dividends as the erratic Sanchez rashly raced out of his penalty area in a bid to clear before Bryan Mbeumo could reach Benjamin Sesko’s flick, but instead sent the United forward crashing to the turf with a reckless challenge.

It was a clear red card for denying a goal-scoring opportunity, and there were no complaints from Chelsea about their quickest ever Premier League dismissal.

Filip Jorgensen replaced Sanchez in goal as Maresca took off wingers Estevao, Willian, and Pedro Neto in a defensive move that immediately backfired.

United went for the jugular and took the lead in the 14th minute when Fernandes, played just onside by Chalobah, timed his run perfectly to meet Patrick Dorgu’s header with a clinical finish from four yards.

Chelsea’s misery mounted when England forward Cole Palmer was forced off with an apparent recurrence of a groin injury, making it a remarkable three substitutions in only 21 minutes for the Blues.

For once, the luck was all going Amorim’s way, and Chelsea imploded to gift United their second goal in the 37th minute.

Jorgensen stood rooted to the spot as Reece James’s sliced clearance was headed on by Harry Maguire to Casemiro, who nodded home from close range for his first league goal in 11 months.

Casemiro, booked for an earlier foul on Enzo Fernández, saw red on the stroke of half-time after needlessly pulling back Andrey Santos.

United struggled to find any rhythm in the second half, and Chalobah reduced the deficit in the 80th minute when he rose unmarked to meet James’s cross with a powerful header that flashed past Altay Bayindir from 12 yards.

It was too late to stop Chelsea slumping to their first league defeat this season as Amorim breathed a sigh of relief.

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Harry Kane scored twice as Bayern Munich beat Chelsea 3-1 at home in their Champions League opener on Wednesday.

Michael Olise pressured Trevoh Chalobah into an own goal with 20 minutes gone, before Kane won and converted a penalty seven minutes later.

Cole Palmer finished off a superb team counter-attack just two minutes later to bring Chelsea back into the game.

But Kane stepped up again midway through the second half to wrestle control back Bayern’s way.

“It was a top performance against a really good side,” Kane told DAZN.

“We spoke before the game that we’re playing the club world champions, and we had to be on it from the start, and we were.”

England captain Kane says facing Premier League sides gives him extra motivation to “play better”, and Chelsea were on the receiving end as he climbed up to 10 goals in just six games this season.

Asked if Kane’s goalscoring exploits made him the best in the world, Bayern coach Vincent Kompany said: “We can talk about talent and quality, but it’s the hard work that gets him to where he is.

“Based on what I experienced in the best years of my career, that’s a non-negotiable.”

Kompany was, however, eager to pump the brakes on suggestions that six-time champions Bayern were favourites for the competition.

“It’s one game. Steady on now. It’s just the beginning.”

Bayern captain Manuel Neuer, the last survivor from the 2012 Champions League final between the sides, won by Chelsea at the same venue, brought up his 100th win in the competition.

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He now trails just Cristiano Ronaldo, Thomas Mueller, and Iker Casillas.

Bayern have now won their past 22 Champions League openers dating back to a 2002 loss to Spain’s Deportivo La Coruna.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said his side “cannot commit mistakes the way we did,” but added, “we can build something special from this defeat.

“There are seven more games and many more points to get.”

Maresca restored Palmer and three others to the starting line-up, having copped criticism for resting players in Saturday’s limp 2-2 draw at Brentford.

Bayern had won five from five to start the season but were caught off guard early by the visitors’ intensity, with Chelsea pinning the hosts back.

Bayern caught their breath and created some pressure of their own before breaking through when Chalobah failed to deal with an Olise cross, turning it into his own goal.

The hosts were soon two up as Kane struck from the spot.

Moises Caicedo gave away the penalty with an awkward tackle in the box, but helped Chelsea hit back immediately, playing a clever one-two on the break, allowing Palmer to slam home.

Bayern came to life 10 minutes into the second half, with Konrad Laimer, Kane, and Olise all having efforts saved in quick succession.

Kane padded Bayern’s advantage shortly after, pouncing on a poor Malo Gusto pass before sliding the ball into the far corner.

The 32-year-old was taken off to a standing ovation in stoppage time, with Chelsea loanee Nicolas Jackson coming off the bench to make his Champions League debut against his parent club.

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