Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona: Champions League – as it happened

Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona: Champions League – as it happened | Champions League

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Jacob Steinberg was at Stamford Bridge tonight. Right here’s his report. Thanks for studying this MBM.

Enzo Maresca talks to Amazon Prime. “It’s an excellent win … not more than that … they’re all essential video games … to beat Barcelona is all the time good … we’re blissful immediately … if Barcelona don’t have the ball they don’t really feel comfy … so we tried to maintain the ball … the defensive half is all the time essential … clear sheet … you might want to try this if you wish to obtain essential issues … it’s a enormous evening for Estêvão … an enormous evening for the entire membership … successful the Membership World Cup has been essential for the gamers by way of confidence … they realise they will win towards any workforce … a successful mentality … it’s the solely solution to construct one thing essential … now could be time to consider Arsenal.”

Estêvão, delight radiating from the younger man’s smile, speaks to Amazon Prime. “I don’t actually have any phrases to sum up how I’m feeling … the right evening … I’m grateful to God … onwards and upwards … [the goal] simply occurred earlier than I even knew it … I wriggled by means of … I hope to attain many extra … it was undoubtedly probably the most particular second of my profession … I’m so blissful my household had been right here watching … from the second I arrived right here at Chelsea I felt a reference to the followers … I hope I can rating many extra objectives and preserve them blissful.”

Maybe issues would have been totally different had Ferran Torres not missed a sitter when one-on-one with Robert Sánchez on six minutes. However he did, and Barcelona supplied completely nothing else all night. Chelsea had been giving them the runaround lengthy earlier than Ronald Araújo received himself despatched off, and completely deserved their victory. The three-0 scoreline doesn’t flatter them in any approach in any way, not least as a result of they’d one other three objectives chalked off, appropriately so, although the margins had been small. Moises Caicedo, Enzo Fernández and Marc Cucurella had been relentless; Pedro Neto and the wonderkid Estêvão a delight to observe. The win springs Chelsea up into fifth; Barcelona, down in fifteenth, have work to do in the event that they’re to keep away from the play-offs.

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FULL TIME: Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona

Chelsea had been glorious to a person. Estêvão in non-public.

What a expertise he’s. {Photograph}: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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90 min +2: Chelsea cross it round, and their followers get pleasure from them doing it. You understand the drill.

90 min +1: Christensen tries to mark his return to the Bridge with a purpose … however solely manages to ship his long-range effort miles broad proper. Sanchez shepherds it out of play.

90 min: There can be three extra minutes.

88 min: If the scoreline stays the identical, this can be Chelsea’s biggest-ever victory over Barcelona, surpassing this one from March 2005.

86 min: Cucurella and Fernandez play a little bit keep-ball close to the Barcelona nook flag. Raphinha considers throwing a tanty, however his coronary heart isn’t actually in it, and he stops waving his arms round pretty shortly.

84 min: This match is really fizzling out now. Chelsea’s work lengthy finished. Barcelona don’t have anything. “Chelsea’s XDG (anticipated disallowed purpose) metric has been glorious tonight,” writes Justin Kavanagh. Ssh, for goodness sake, you’ll be giving individuals concepts. “However that final one confused me. Does it go down as an XUDG as a result of it was undisallowed? Soccer was once a lot less complicated. And Barcelona was once so a lot better at doing objectives and defending and stuff.”

82 min: Chelsea reply with a double change of their very own. George and Acheampong change James and Estêvão, the latter departing to the type of ear-splitting ovation his efficiency – and that purpose – deserves.

80 min: Yamal and Balde are changed by Olmo and Martin. Estêvão has actually gained the battle of the teenage geniuses this night.

78 min: Delap crosses from the left. Estêvão, coming in from the proper, traps however permits the ball to get caught below his foot. He lays off to Fernandez, who goals a low drive in direction of the underside left. Garcia claims. Chelsea clearly need extra.

76 min: That’s Neto’s final contribution to this rout. He’s changed by Gittens. Chelsea have been magnificent, although Barcelona’s defence has been a shambles from the get-go.

74 min: … however then the flag goes up for offside. Is that this a fourth disallowed purpose?! For a second, it could appear so … till VAR will get out the rulers to substantiate that the purpose stands! Bedlam!

GOAL! Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona (Eight 73)

Neto dribbles down the center, then slips Fernandez clear down the inside-left channel. Fernandez unselfishly rolls throughout to Delap, who whips a sidefoot into the underside proper. So, really easy.

Liam Delap certainly wraps issues up for Chelsea. {Photograph}: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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71 min: Estêvão is present in extra space down the proper; he enters the field and cuts again for Fernandez, when he’d have been higher taking a shot himself. The transfer breaks down, however Barcelona are being opened up repeatedly, with virtually contemptuous ease.

70 min: Sanchez bowls out to Neto, who embarks on a high-speed romp down the inside-left channel. He knocks the ball previous Cubarsi and backs himself in a footrace … which he wins simply. He enters the field and goals for the underside left. Garcia spreads himself properly to dam on the close to put up, and nothing comes from the ensuing nook.

68 min: A pause in play so Estêvão can retie his boots. His magic boots. The shot for his purpose has been recorded by Amazon Prime at 64 miles per hour.

66 min: A unfastened ball is deflected down the inside-left channel. Had Delap been on his toes, he might have raced clear on purpose with it, however he doesn’t react, and it dribbles by means of to Garcia.

64 min: Barcelona can’t pay money for the ball. Chelsea in whole management. “Magic to see Steve rating that blinder,” writes Matt Leonard. “Was beginning to fear concerning the quantity of disallowed objectives. It was just like the spirit of Tom Henning Ovrebo was haunting the Bridge.”

62 min: Barcelona want one thing to occur, so ship on Raphinha for the uncharacteristically quiet Lewandowski. In the meantime Fermín López makes approach for the erstwhile Chelsea defender Christensen.

It’s not been his evening. {Photograph}: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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60 min: James hoicks the free kick over everybody within the field. Garcia flaps worryingly beneath it. The keeper has been all around the store because the restart … although you may’t blame him for being crushed at his close to put up by that Estêvão shot, such was its high quality.

59 min: Estêvão is much from finished. He sashays down the proper touchline and confuses Balde right into a foul. A free kick from a harmful place developing. Earlier than it may be taken, Delap comes on for Garnacho.

57 min: That was one heck of a dribble and end. A high-speed slalom that twisted Cubarsi’s blood. The shot roofed! Stamford Bridge en fête.

GOAL! Chelsea 2-0 Barcelona (Estevão 55)

… and right here it’s! Estêvão dribbles down the inside-right channel. Laborious. Quick. Elegant. Cubarsi twisted inside and outside. Balde unable to knock him off stability. A rising shot into the top-right nook from a decent angle. Garcia no likelihood with an unstoppable effort! What a purpose! Estêvão successful the battle of the prodigies tonight!

What a end from Estevao! {Photograph}: Shutterstock

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54 min: Garnacho advances down the left once more. Onside this time. He wins a nook. James sends it to the close to put up, the place Cubarsi heads clear. A Chelsea second seems more likely than a Barca equaliser.

52 min: Enzo Maresca is booked for arguing the toss over a garden-variety journey by Cucurella on Yamal. All a bit disproportionate.

Lamine Yamal goes within the e book for a visit on Cucurella. {Photograph}: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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51 min: Fernandes slips a cute cross down the inside-left channel for Garnacho, who reaches the byline, swivels, and sits Kounde down. He cuts again for Santos, who goals a first-time flick into the underside left, by means of the weak arms of Garcia. However there’s no purpose, as a result of Garnacho had gone too early. That’s three disallowed Chelsea objectives now!

49 min: Chelsea, who at the moment are kicking in direction of the Shed Finish, stroke it round patiently. They’re in cost, and in no rush.

47 min: A measure of how depressing that first half was for Barcelona: they’re the primary workforce in 14 years of Champions League soccer to attain an personal purpose and have a person despatched off. Milan towards Barcelona in 2011, seeing you ask. What goes spherical comes spherical.

Barcelona get the second half began. They’ve made one change, changing the ineffectual Ferran Torres with Marcus Rashford. In the meantime Chelsea ship on Andrey Santos for Malo Gusto.

A lot to do for Lamine Yamal and Barcelona on this second half. {Photograph}: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

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Half-time postbag. “This century, European soccer was a easy recreation. Dozens of groups vied for continental trophies, and on the finish, a Spanish membership gained. However this season, neither Barcelona nor Actual Madrid really feel like champions in ready, and not one of the different La Liga sides in Europe appear particularly sturdy. Historical past tells us they’ll type themselves out, nevertheless it feels totally different this 12 months. Perhaps the dominance of Spanish golf equipment is over” – Kári Tulinius

“With apologies to Cole Palmer, it’s nice to see these heavyweight golf equipment go toe to toe” – Peter Oh

HALF-TIME AD BREAK. The Guardian has kicked off a brand new chapter in puzzles with the launch of its first day by day soccer recreation, On the ball. It’s now reside within the app for each iOS and Android … so what are you ready for?

On the ball: get on it! Illustration: Guardian Comms

HALF TIME: Chelsea 1-0 Barcelona

Chelsea go into the break one purpose and one man up. They’ve been pretty much as good as Barcelona have been ragged. The scoreline flatters Barca.

45 min +1: Chelsea waste the free kick for the Araujo problem on Cucurella by overplaying. Barcelona can be relieved.

45 min: There can be two extra minutes.

RED CARD: Araujo (Barcelona)

44 min: Araujo comes sliding into Cucurella, who was getting ready to advance down the left. He mistimes the problem terribly, scything by means of his man. That’s an apparent second yellow, and the Barca captain doesn’t hassle complaining. He walks with out fuss.

Ronald Araujo is fortunate it wasn’t a straight pink. {Photograph}: Shutterstock

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42 min: Barca gradual issues down with some affected person passing across the again. Then Cubarsi immediately seems lengthy for Torres … however too lengthy. The large Torres likelihood aside, the Catalans have finished little or no in assault.

40 min: Gusto takes an enormous handful of Balde’s shirt and goes into the e book. Balde would have been away down the left in any other case.

39 min: Neto considers taking pictures from the sting of the D. The gang encourage him. He declines the supply. He might as properly have taken a pop, as a result of seconds later Fernandez is flagged offside down the left.

37 min: Yamal drops deep and tries to ping Torres clear, however there’s no room between the 2 Chelsea centre-backs. The door slams shut. Chelsea on high at each ends of the park.

35 min: Yamal drives laborious down the proper and appears to have gotten the higher of Cucurella … however the defender doesn’t hand over, and fights his approach again, forcing Yamal to run the ball out for a purpose kick. Yamal, who desires a nook however isn’t getting one, reacts within the annoyed type.

33 min: Balde strides down the left and lays off for Torres, who crosses low. From the sting of the field, Yamal tries to flip a first-time shot throughout Sanchez and into the underside proper. However there’s no tempo on the shot and it’s simple for Sanchez.

32 min: Araújo is booked for having his say on the matter.

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