Chelsea vs Barcelona: 3 Best and Worst Players on the Pitch as Estevao Shines

The hosts had the ball in the back of the net twice inside the opening 25 minutes, only to see both efforts ruled out. Enzo Fernandez was judged to have been offside for his second effort after already having one chalked off for a Wesley Fofana handball.

Chelsea were finally one goal to the good as Marc Cucurella popped up on the right-hand side of the Barcelona box, and his low cross was clumsily put into his own net by Jules Kounde.

After yet another ruled-out effort, this time from Andrey Santos, the Blues put the Spanish giants to the sword with goals from Estevao and Liam Delap. Ronald Araujo had made life even more difficult for his team, after picking up two sloppy yellow cards in the first half.

With the Premier League side dominating La Liga opposition, three players stood out while another trio had nightmares. It’s fairly easy to guess which team each were lining up on.

Chelsea Trio Stun Barcelona

1. Estevao

One man who is getting used to praise coming his way in recent months is Brazilian wonderkid Estevao. The electric winger was unrelenting as he put the Barcelona backline to the sword time and time again.

His efforts didn’t go unnoticed, either, as fans quickly swarmed to X (formerly Twitter) to express their joy at witnessing the 18-year-old do his thing. One user waxed lyrical:

“Every game you watch Estevao and there’s something new to admire. Hasn’t had the chance to take on his FB 1v1 often, but has found a way to sparkle with his passing. Found that throughball for Neto, a nice switch for Garnacho in the box. Prodigious.”

Another added a simple yet strong message. They said: “Estevao you are the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

2. Marc Cucurella

Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea swept five-time European champions Barcelona aside in a 3-0 victory at Stamford Bridge. There have been several epic Champions League battles between these two sides in years gone by, and Tuesday night’s clash was no different.

The hosts had the ball in the back of the net twice inside the opening 25 minutes, only to see both efforts ruled out. Enzo Fernandez was judged to have been offside for his second effort after already having one chalked off for a Wesley Fofana handball.

Chelsea were finally one goal to the good as Marc Cucurella popped up on the right-hand side of the Barcelona box, and his low cross was clumsily put into his own net by Jules Kounde.

After yet another ruled-out effort, this time from Andrey Santos, the Blues put the Spanish giants to the sword with goals from Estevao and Liam Delap. Ronald Araujo had made life even more difficult for his team, after picking up two sloppy yellow cards in the first half.

With the Premier League side dominating La Liga opposition, three players stood out while another trio had nightmares. It’s fairly easy to guess which team each were lining up on.

Chelsea Trio Stun Barcelona

1. Estevao

One man who is getting used to praise coming his way in recent months is Brazilian wonderkid Estevao. The electric winger was unrelenting as he put the Barcelona backline to the sword time and time again.

His efforts didn’t go unnoticed, either, as fans quickly swarmed to X (formerly Twitter) to express their joy at witnessing the 18-year-old do his thing. One user waxed lyrical:

“Every game you watch Estevao and there’s something new to admire. Hasn’t had the chance to take on his FB 1v1 often, but has found a way to sparkle with his passing. Found that throughball for Neto, a nice switch for Garnacho in the box. Prodigious.”

Another added a simple yet strong message. They said: “Estevao you are the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”

2. Marc Cucurella

Roberto Martinez wasn’t the only one impressed with how Cucurella handled the daunting task of facing compatriot Lamine Yamal. Lots would have gone into the game expecting the latter to be the bigger attacking threat as one of world football’s best young players.

However, the left-back constantly played on the front foot and left his Spanish international teammate looking anonymous throughout the match. He was instrumental in the opening goal and Araujo’s red card, too.

One user posted on X: “CUCURELLA IS LETTING LAMINE YAMAL KNOW THAT HE IS NOT GOING TO BE MESSED WITH TODAY!” Another then added: “Cucurella is having some game. Gets an assist, keeping Yamal quiet and now just got Araujo sent off. My left back man.”

An extremely bold claim was made that Cucurella is now the best player in his position in the world. It’s hard to argue, as one user said: “APPRECIATION POST FOR THE BEST LEFT BACK IN THE WORLD, MARC CUCURELLA!” Another echoed those sentiments: Marc Cucurella is the best left back in the world, and he has been for a while.”

3. Enzo Fernandez

The man who had the ball in the back of the net twice, but ended the game without getting his name on the scoresheet, is up next. Fernandez set the tempo in the middle of the park, with his attacking runs into the penalty area causing chaos for the opposition.

He’s really stepped up his performances and is looking a lot more like the £100m+ player they signed from Benfica almost three years ago. Tuesday’s clash was no different as the Argentine showed composure in possession and channelled his aggression off it perfectly.

Three Barcelona Stars Struggle in West London

1. Jules Kounde

Barcelona had a night to forget all round. In reality, none of the travelling players put in a performance they’ll want to remember any time soon. However, three men stood out as the worst on the pitch.

Firstly, the man who gave the home side the lead before half-time. Jules Kounde couldn’t cope with the attacking energy on display and didn’t cover himself in glory with his bizarre own goal.

Fans quickly vented their frustrations online, with one blaming Hansi Flick for playing Kounde and one of his teammates – who we’ll get to – in the first place: “At some point you have to blame Flick for playing Kounde & Araujo… there were so many other options to start.”

Another scathing assessment saw the France international labelled ‘useless’ along with another of the Barca players: “Kounde can’t get you out of a press, Ferran scams us with useless goals. He is utterly useless like his goals.”

2. Ronald Araujo

The game was over when Araujo tripped Cucurella and picked up a red card in yet another big Champions League game. Flashbacks to the Paris Saint-Germain debacle two years ago will have been in supporters’ minds, as they showed their anger.

One fan was left in disbelief that he was witnessing history repeat itself: “Genuinely can’t believe it’s happened again. So, so stupid. Both yellows. One for complaining,” and another added to that: “Araujo and letting his team down in the Champions League. A never-ending story!”

A livid fan even went as far as saying the defender needs to be sold after the nightmare in west London: “Araújo needs the Ter Stegen treatment and get booted out of the club.”

3. Ferran Torres

Things could’ve gone so differently had Ferran Torres put the away team into the lead early on. Having found himself through on goal, the Spaniard put the ball wide of Robert Sanchez’s post.

None of the Barcelona attackers can come away with any credit, but Torres wasn’t able to get involved at all after his early sitter. Supporters have had enough of the misfiring 25-year-old. One said: “Club loves employing mediocrity. Expecting to get a win while going into a mouth-watering Champions League fixture with Ferran Torres as your left-winger.”

That sums it up, really. There was nowhere near enough quality in attack, with Torres being one of the biggest culprits.