AS a warm-up for Sunday’s Premier League summit showdown with Arsenal, this could hardly have been more emphatic.
And frankly, that is all this stellar fixture had been reduced to, by a sprawling Champions League format which provides precious little context or jeopardy.
Chelsea, the champions of the world, humbled Barcelona, the champions of Spain, whose teenage starlet Lamine Yamal was tormented on and off the pitch.
Estevao, not Yamal, was the best 18-year-old on the pitch by some distance – walloping home the killer second goal shortly after half-time to finish off a Barca side reduced to ten men by the brainlessness of their skipper Ronald Araujo.
Sub Liam Delap netted his first Champions League, and his first of the season, having only previously netted for Chelsea in the Club World Cup, in another boost for Enzo Maresca.
And while the Italian’s side may be six points adrift of the Gunners, this was the sort of night which can truly ignite a season – as one of European football’s heavyweight names came crashing to the canvas on a cold West London night.
“You’re just a s*** Estevao,” chanted Blues fans at Yamal, although the poor kid was scarcely to blame for this trouncing.
With Barca trailing through a Jules Kounde own goal, Araujo added the self-inflicted gunshot wound with two yellow cards before half-time.
Then Estevao, who had previously shone mainly as a sub, scored a brilliant second before Delap added the shine – on a night when Chelsea had seen three goals ruled out.
It really could have been a complete humiliation for Barca as Chelsea gave themselves a chance of a top-eight finish which secures automatic entry into the last 16.
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Barca may now need a play-off to reach that part of the competition. And, in effect, that is all the biggest clubs are playing for during the eight matches they play in the monster 36-club league stage.
This fixture hadn’t been staged for seven and a half years yet it conjured up some golden memories.
Of Ronaldinho‘s wonder goal, of a Lionel Messi masterclass and of Gary Neville’s infamous ‘goalgasm’ on the telly when Fernando Torres netted in the Nou Camp as Chelsea reached the 2012 Final, minus their red-carded captain John Terry.
Maresca opted to start without a specialist centre forward, employing Pedro Neto as his false nine.
It was wild and wide open from the off.
Chelsea had the ball in the net inside four minutes but Wesley Fofana had handled before he teed up Enzo Fernandez to smash home from close range.
Almost instantly, Ferran Torres squandered a sitter after Reece James had erred against Barca’s high press.
Marcus Rashford was on the bench for the Spanish champions who were moving the ball with speed and swagger.
When Robert Lewandowski dropped deep and fed Fermin Lopez, Blues keeper Robert Sanchez dashed out of his area to intercept and wiped out the Barca man with his follow-through.
Soon, though, Chelsea took a grip on midfield and began to overwhelm their glamorous visitors.
First, Estevao whipped in a free-kick and Fernandez nodded in at the far post, only to have his second goal of the night scrubbed off for offside.
Estevao was relishing it now, slipping an artful through-ball to Neto, who row-zedded his shot.
It was only a matter of time before Chelsea scored a legitimate goal, although when they did, it didn’t half look dodgy.
A corner was taken short before Alejandro Garnacho released Marc Cucurella, looking way offside, before he cut back for Neto who back-heeled before Kounde inadvertently nutmegged team-mate Torres on the line.
The magic VAR lines appeared and declared Cucurella onside by virtue of some strange optical illusion.
Still, Chelsea thoroughly deserved their lead and Cucurella was soon snuffing out Yamal and celebrating with a roar and a chest bump.
Then came the moment when the Blues looked home and hosed shortly before half-time.
Araujo, who had earlier been booked for mouthing off at ref Slavko Vincic, dived in on Cucurella, earning a second yellow and first use of the loofah.
At the break, Maresca sent on Andrey Santos for the yellow-carded Malo Gusto, with James reverting to right-back, while Rashford arrived in place of Torres.
Santos soon had the ball in the net from a Garnacho centre but the Argentinian had been offside and Chelsea were denied for a third time.
They didn’t have to wait long, however, as Estevao seized centre stage.
Santos won possession with a vigorous challenge and James released the kid who kippered Cubarsi, slipped in front of Alejandro Balde and detonated a shot which exploded into the roof of the net, beating Joan Garcia at his near post.
Delap, who had replaced Garnacho, then slotted home the third – although he had to wait for a VAR overturn having originally been flagged offside.
Yamal was soon hauled off, those taunts still ringing in his ears before the Chelsea faithful rolled out the ‘oles’ in injury-time.
Now can they do it on Sunday, when it really matters?
