Chelsea’s youthful squad, featuring goals from Liam Delap and Estevao, dominated Barcelona at Stamford Bridge, revitalizing their Champions League campaign with a commanding performance and building team confidence.
According to a report from The Independent by Robert O’Connor, Chelsea delivered a commanding 3-0 victory over Barcelona on Tuesday night, a performance that goalscorer Liam Delap asserts marks the start of the team’s realization of its true potential.
The match at Stamford Bridge, which is arguably Enzo Maresca’s “finest moment in his 18 months at the helm,” was sealed by Delap’s debut home goal following a “precise cross” from Enzo Fernandez.
Reflecting on the triumph, Delap told Chelsea’s club website: “It was incredible. You grow up dreaming of nights like this. We had a game plan and everyone executed it really well.”
The £30million summer signing sent a confident warning to the club’s rivals, adding: “I believe we’re building something really good here.
We’re working together every day and we’re getting better and better. We come into every game with huge belief. We showed that we can do it against anyone.”
Delap also offered tactical insight into how the youthful side overwhelmed the La Liga giants:
“We knew how strong Barcelona are and how many good players they have, but we also knew that their high line is so high. We had to pass the ball about to create that space.”
The win, which followed a “disappointing draw away against Qarabag,” now means Chelsea are likely to secure direct passage to the last-16 with “two victories from their remaining three group matches.”
Delap also praised his young teammate, Estevao, remarking: “He’s so young but he’s so exciting. He’s so raw and he’s got the world at his feet at the moment. He’s just got to stay grounded and keep working hard.”