Chelsea’s 3-0 win over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday (November 25) will go down as one of the club’s best ever Champions League nights, not just because of the scoreline, but due to the performance too.
As good as Chelsea were, Barcelona were equally as bad. Their high line left the constantly vulnerable and Ronald Araujo’s red card meant there was absolutely no coming back for Hansi Flick’s side. They had no clue how to deal with the intensity of Premier League opposition.
So, here are three things we learned from a fascinating match-up.
This ain’t La Liga, lads
The gap in quality between the Spanish top flight and its English counterpart has never been wider. Barcelona and Real Madrid still come out on top more often than not but add this to Liverpool’s win over Xabi Alonso’s side, it’s not looking good.
From the first minute, Barcelona couldn’t handle Chelsea’s intensity. Enzo Maresca’s side were fitter, quicker, winning every second ball while Lamine Yamal and co looked to the referee, hoping to get a foul for every little infraction.
In La Liga, most of them would have probably been given, but not in the Champions League. Chelsea still committed the most fouls with 18 compared to Barca’s 12, but the way Flick’s lads protested, they would have wanted to see that doubled.
Chelsea came into this one much better prepared that Barca. Perhaps it was overconfidence, or maybe it was something else, either way, the Catalans need to fix up next time they face Premier League opposition.
A Marc Cucurella masterclass
Is Marc Cucurella the best left-back in the world at the moment? Well, if his performance on Tuesday was anything to go by, yes. The curly haired menace had Yamal locked down and even popped up on the right wing kinda getting the assist for Chelsea’s opener.
Cucurella won the most duels with ten, won five tackles, and made four recoveries throughout his player of the match performance. The ex-La Masia graduate was central to everything good that Chelsea did.
Robert Sanchez said it best after the game: “Cucurella has Lamine Yamal in his pocket.” There are some big games coming up for Chelsea going into the festive period, having the Spanish left-back at his best will be a huge boost.
Estevao wins battle of the wonderkids
All the talk ahead of the game was about Yamal and Estevao. Both 18-years-old, and both unnaturally talented, but only one came out of that game looking like a superstar, and it wasn’t the Ballon d’Or runner up.
While Yamal was largely anonymous after a really bright first 15 minutes, Estevao stole the show, scoring an Eden Hazard-esque goal to double Chelsea’s lead and all but secure the memorable win for the West Londoners.
Comparisons to the Lionel Messi-Cristiano Ronaldo rivalry have already begun, they were inevitable. They’re derivative really, let’s just enjoy two young lads living the dream, and we’re sure there will be plenty of opportunities to watch them face each other again soon.
Estevao may have won the battle, but there is still a war to fight.