Chelsea produced a dominant display to beat 10-man Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, with teenage sensation Estêvão Willian scoring a stunning solo goal that drew comparisons with Lionel Messi. The 18-year-old Brazilian, who joined Chelsea from Palmeiras for £52m last summer, has now scored in his first three Champions League starts, a feat only previously achieved by Erling Haaland and Kylian Mbappé.
Estêvão's wonder goal came in the first half after he picked up the ball on the right, dribbled past Pau Cubarsí and held off Alejandro Balde before firing a powerful shot with his weaker right foot into the near post. The goal put Chelsea 2-0 up and capped a performance in which he outshone Barcelona's Lamine Yamal, who was kept quiet by Marc Cucurella.
Chelsea had taken the lead earlier through an own goal from Jules Koundé, who turned Pedro Neto's flick into his own net from a corner. Barcelona's night went from bad to worse when captain Ronald Araújo was sent off just before half-time after receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Cucurella. The visitors offered little in attack, with Ferran Torres missing an early chance and Robert Lewandowski ineffective.
Enzo Maresca's side dominated midfield through Moisés Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and Reece James, and the win moves Chelsea up to fifth in the Champions League standings. Barcelona, meanwhile, have taken only seven points from their first five games and face an uphill battle to finish in the top eight.
