Chelsea vs Barcelona: Enzo Maresca's boys solve Flick's highline, embarrass LALIGA champions

Save for the first 15 minutes in which Barcelona could have gone two goals ahead, Chelsea dominated this tie, beating the Blaugrana 3-0 at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea blew away Barcelona in London, stamping their authority as world champions and emerging Champions League contenders. The victory took them to 5th on the league table, while Barcelona sank to 15th.

Chelsea’s opener came in the 27th minute from a scramble in the box. Marc Cucurella beat the offside trap and squared to Pedro Neto, whose flick created a dangerous situation. Ferran Torres attempted to clear the ball, but it ricocheted off Jules Koundé and went over the line.

The game turned decisively before half-time when Ronald Araújo was shown a red card in the 44th minute. After a heavy challenge on Marc Cucurella, the referee produced a second yellow. Barcelona were down to ten and the momentum swung fully to Chelsea. 

Chelsea made their numerical advantage count early in the second half. In the 55th minute Estêvão produced a moment of brilliance, picking the ball up in midfield, beating his marker with a sharp turn and dribble, then bending a composed finish past the keeper to make it 2–0. 

From there Chelsea controlled the tempo, stifled Barca’s attempts to build through the middle and managed the game expertly. The third goal came midway through the second half as Chelsea countered a desperate Barça push. 

In the 73rd minute Liam Delap finished from close range after a quick transition and the move was checked by VAR before confirmation; the strike effectively settled the contest at 3–0. From that point Chelsea shepherded the game to full time, limiting Barcelona to scattered efforts.