FC Barcelona suffered a humiliating 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night, a result that exposed defensive frailties and midfield disarray after captain Ronald Araujo’s ill-timed sending-off left the Catalans to battle with 10 men for nearly an hour.
The Blues, playing at a raucous Stamford Bridge, controlled the tempo from the outset, outclassing Barcelona in the engine room and capitalising ruthlessly on their numerical advantage post-interval. Chelsea’s opener came via a deflection off Jules Kounde in the first half.
The visitors had to play the second half with 10 men after captain Ronald Araujo was sent off for a rash tackle which earned a second booking in the 44th minute.
Chelsea took advantage and 10 minutes after the break 18-year-old Estevao rode two tackles as he jinked into the area and sent a bullet shot into the top corner from a tight angle. Delap compounded Barcelona’s misery with a 73rd minute goal, leaving Chelsea in provisional fifth place and the Catalans 15th with a battle to reach the automatic qualification places.
