ESTEVAO escaped a red card for his “severe head loss” as Chelsea crashed to defeat at Leeds.
The Blues were thumped 3-1 just days after holding out for a draw against Arsenal with 10 men.
Moises Caicedo was missed in midfield as his suspension was felt throughout the game.
And Enzo Maresca will have to go back to the drawing board after also making several changes in defence and attack.
One man who kept his place in Chelsea’s starting XI was Estevao.
The Brazilian had a decent outing against Arsenal.
And a week ago he shone on the European stage with a fine goal in the Champions League win over Barcelona.
However, Estevao found himself easily contained by Leeds left-back Gabriel Gudmundsson.
And the 18-year-old showed his petulant side with a silly kick at the Swede just minutes before half time.
Estevao’s cheap swing saw Gudmundsson collapse to the ground in agony, prompting an angry response from his Leeds teammates.
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Fortunately for the teen, he was only shown a yellow card for the wild antics.
But fans on social media felt Estevao was extremely fortunate to remain on the pitch, with Maresca hauling him off at the break.
One said: “Severe head loss from Estevao there. Very inexperienced.”
Another declared: “No attempt to play the ball, deliberately kicks in anger, could have been sent off for violent conduct.”
One noted: “This is a red card any day of the week.”
Another added: “This is diabolical man.”
Welcome to Leeds.
Enzo Maresca
Boss Maresca opened up on his decision to take off Estevao at the break.
He said: “The feeling with Estevao was a little bit like welcome to the Premier League. Welcome to Leeds.
“The impact to him has probably been big, a big impact.
“The reason we changed, he was on a yellow card. Sometimes at 18, you struggle with emotion. It was better to change him, to avoid any red cards.”
