Chelsea proved on Tuesday that some things don’t really change with time, because whenever they face Barcelona, they usually take control of the game. The 3–0 win at Stamford Bridge didn’t just extend the English side’s historical edge in the matchup, it showed a team that looked far more prepared, intense and confident. The main storyline of the night, though, had one clear name. Estêvão took over from his first touch and turned the match into a script where Barcelona rarely understood what was happening around them.
Chelsea take control and Barcelona lose their way
The match opened with that usual Champions League rush, but Chelsea settled quickly and almost scored right away in a well executed play that was wiped out by VAR for a handball. Barcelona tried to respond by pressing high, jumping on a mistake in the buildup and leaving Ferran Torres in a good position to finish. He missed, and that moment mattered, because from that point on the Spanish side struggled to turn possession into anything dangerous.
The tempo picked up, but Chelsea stayed in charge. Estêvão kept the ball moving, played short combinations, found Pedro Neto on the wings and fed passes that broke through lines. His teammates didn’t always finish the plays well, but the feeling was that Chelsea kept finding openings naturally while Barcelona looked stuck in the middle third. Koundé’s own goal wasn’t random. It came from a shaky back line that couldn’t deal with the pressure around their box.
Araújo’s red card late in the first half exposed Barcelona’s lack of control even more. The Spanish team lost any real chance of balancing the game and ended up relying on isolated plays that barely developed.
Talent settles it and the score becomes a formality
The second half confirmed what the first had hinted at. Estêvão picked up the ball on the right, faced the defender with patience and fired an unstoppable shot, the kind of strike that changes not only the score but the entire mood of the game. Chelsea grew even more confident, pushed higher up the field and found a third goal when Delap finished a low cross from Enzo Fernández.
Barcelona tried to react near the end, but they lacked structure and didn’t have the strength to compete. In the end, Chelsea won because they were better in every way that mattered. If anyone still believed the history between these clubs didn’t mean much anymore, the night in London served as a fresh reminder.