Estevao Willian v Lamine Yamal – how Chelsea forward outshone Barcelona prodigy

This was billed as a battle of two young wunderkinds – but for the first time it was Lamine Yamal who outshined himself, removed from the spotlight.

This was Estevao Willian’s night.

With Chelsea leading 1-0 and Barcelona down to 10 men, the 18-year-old created a truly unforgettable moment by lighting up an already noisy Stamford Bridge.

Receiving a pass from Reece James, Estevao cut inside, turned Alejandro Balde inside out and then fired a fierce shot into the roof of the net past goalkeeper Joan Garcia.

As former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin put it: “Start believing the hype.”

“The goal was the part for everyone to see and it was great in many ways,” Nevin said on BBC Radio 5 Live after the 3-0 win. he said. “The footwork was very tight and it was a great finish.

“But all the other aspects of his game, his intelligence, his movement, his positioning… he’s a natural. Because often footballers are called natural and they’re not – but it looks so effortless for him. Some players move differently than other players, a grace and elegance. It’s nice to see that.”

Speaking on Amazon Prime, former Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge added: “The expectation and expectation was that it would be Yamal’s night and it would be all about him. But tonight you see Estavao and he was absolutely brilliant.”

Yamal’s night came to an end in the 80th minute, replaced by applause with the match already lost.

Just two minutes and 40 seconds later, Estevao left to a standing ovation.