Estevao shines, £37m man woeful – Chelsea’s three winners and losers vs Qarabag
Chelsea were held to a 2-2 draw in the Champions League against Qarabag as they failed to find a winner after needing to come from behind in the second-half.
Chelsea went ahead early on as a slick move saw the ball moved through midfield and into Andrey Santos before he found Estevao in the area, who cut inside from the right to score at the near post.
The hosts soon hit back as Camilo Duran weaved past Jorrel Hato and crashed a shot against the woodwork before Leandro Andrade finished the rebound with aplomb, while Marko Jankovic’s penalty then put them ahead before the interval.
Half-time substitute Alejandro Garnacho got Chelsea back on terms not long after coming on with a fine angled shot into the bottom-right corner, and the game ended 2-2 as they were unable to find a winner.
Football Insider have picked out three winners and three losers from Enzo Maresca’s squad after the draw in Baku.
Winners
Estevao
Estevao has been hugely impressive since arriving at Chelsea in the summer, and he continued his good start to life at the club in Baku on Wednesday (5 November).
The tricky Brazilian was a constant threat down the right flank as he grabbed the opener with real intent, but was often let down by the poor showings of his teammates.
He will surely be in line for more starts going forward, particularly in the Champions League, considering he is the club’s joint-top scorer so far this term despite his age and inexperience.
Alejandro Garnacho
Maresca had started Garnacho in the Blues’ two games prior to this one, and the Argentine forward proved why he should have remained in the starting eleven with a strong performance off the bench here.
He immediately made an impact with a fine finish to get Chelsea back level and silence the intense home crowd, and was also a real threat from out wide as they looked a much better team with him in it rather than Jamie Gittens.
Liam Delap
Liam Delap was sent-off against Wolves not long after coming on last week as he returned to action for Chelsea following an injury, but this substitute appearance was much more fruitful and should cement his place in the team from now on.
The 22-year-old was a nuisance throughout the second period as his runs in-behind the defence helped to stretch the game and create space for the likes of Estevao and Garnacho to work their magic.
He put in a much better performance than Tyrique George, while Marc Guiu watched on from the bench, so Maresca must now be planning on starting him week-in, week-out as he aims to prove his worth.
Losers
Romeo Lavia
Romeo Lavia has endured an injury-hit time at Chelsea since he joined from Southampton in 2023, and his woes continued in Azerbaijan in just his fourth start of the season.
The Belgian midfielder only returned from a two month lay-off in late September, and he pulled up inside the first five minutes against Qarabag with a clear muscular issue, so could well face more time out in the weeks and months to come.
Jorrel Hato
Hato looked nervy in the opening stages of the clash as he very nearly gave away a penalty for a foul on Matheus Silva, after he had to chase his own short back-pass while pulling the full-back’s shirt in the area.
He then made a huge mistake that was capitalised on by Qarabag for their leveller as he failed to deal with a long pass and was brushed aside by Duran before Andrade eventually crashed the ball home.
The Dutch defender’s nightmare first-half was then made even worse as he gave away a penalty for handball which was converted by Marko Jankovic.
Jamie Gittens
Chelsea’s poor first 45 minutes was summed up by the woes of Jamie Gittens, who joined the club from Borussia Dortmund in the summer window.
The young winger lost the most duels of any player prior to the interval (7), while he had just three touches in Qarabag’s penalty area and committed three fouls before being hooked by Maresca at the break.