Chelsea delivered a dominant Champions League performance, sweeping aside 10-man Barcelona with a 3–0 victory at Stamford Bridge. The breakthrough came in the 27th minute when Pedro Neto’s strike deflected off Jules Kounde for an own goal. Barcelona’s night deteriorated further just before half-time as Ronald Araujo received a second yellow card, leaving the visitors with a mountain to climb.
With the numerical advantage, Chelsea controlled the tempo after the break and doubled their lead through a stunning tight-angle finish from Estevao the highlight of the match. Liam Delap sealed the win with a composed finish after breaking Barcelona’s offside trap.
The result pushes Chelsea to 10 points from five matchdays, lifting them into fifth place in the league phase and strengthening their push for automatic qualification to the knockout rounds. Barcelona, meanwhile, remain stuck on seven points and have slipped to 15th, leaving them at serious risk of having to go through the play-off route unless they win their remaining games.
Chelsea now turn their focus to a huge London derby against Premier League leaders Arsenal this Sunday, hoping to build on this momentum. Barcelona will try to regroup with a more favourable fixture at home to Deportivo Alaves. With more matches to come tomorrow, the table remains fluid — but for now, Chelsea’s convincing win has reshaped the outlook of the group.
