Estevao returns as Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 despite two disallowed goals
Estevao Willian returned to the starting XI as Chelsea defeated Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge in a Premier League match on Saturday, though two of his goals were ruled out for offside. The 19-year-old winger played 86 minutes, earned a standing ovation from the home crowd and received a hug from Chelsea head coach Xabi Alonso.
Estevao had not started a Premier League match this season before Saturday and had been an unused substitute for Chelsea's midweek penalty shootout defeat by Liverpool at Anfield, where he was still serenaded by away fans. He is a £38m signing from Palmeiras and had made only one start earlier this season, against Luton Town in the Carabao Cup in September. Brazilian media speculation over his limited minutes has circulated, but sources at Chelsea and those close to Estevao say there are no signs of discontent and praise his professionalism.
On the pitch, Estevao had an early goal ruled out for offside and a second near-post finish in the second half was disallowed on a marginal decision. Across his 86-minute display he registered six shots — the joint-most by a Chelsea player in a Premier League match this season — recorded 12 touches in the opposition penalty area, created three chances, delivered eight crosses and completed five dribbles, all either the most or joint-most by a Chelsea player in Saturday's match.
Alonso said the decision to start Estevao had been taken after the defeat by Tottenham and confirmed it after the game: "We spoke after Tottenham and he knew that he was going to be playing tonight, today," Alonso said. "He has had the best response to show that he deserves more, that he was prepared, and that's what you want from a football player, so I'm very happy for him. "He deserved to enjoy his game. He had a good connection with the crowd. He was really close to scoring that goal. At the end he fought really hard. He was tired and it has been a good day for him."
The match was settled by Morgan Rogers' solo effort in the 50th minute after Chelsea had looked disjointed; Rogers received the ball from Romeo Lavia, slalomed through the Manchester United defence and lifted a delicate chip over Senne Lammens. TNT Sports pundit Joe Cole described the strike as "Gascoigne-esque". The win came against 10-man Manchester United and compounded pressure on United boss Michael Carrick.
Rogers' strike was his sixth goal of the season in all competitions and added to four assists, taking his involvement to 10 goals in 13 appearances while being the season's most-used Chelsea player to date. He became just the second Premier League player, after Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, to reach 10 goal involvements. Cole Palmer's penalty — his first goal in six games and coming a week after his red card in the defeat by Spurs — effectively sealed the victory.
Chelsea still face selection and availability challenges: eight players were absent before kick-off, with first-choice striker Joao Pedro sidelined by a thigh injury suffered before the 2-0 home loss to Tottenham, a match described in the report as producing Chelsea's poorest attacking display of the season and the first time they had failed to score. Rogers had struggled as a central striker in that Tottenham game, while alternative options including Danny Welbeck and Emmanuel Emegha remained on the bench against Manchester United; Alonso said the team must "be creative at times and try to find solutions with the players available. Even Pedro [Neto] has worked really hard in that position. It's not new for him."
The display from Estevao will increase pressure on Alonso to keep him in the side and ensure the performance was not a one-off, and Chelsea's 2-0 victory over 10-man Manchester United also heaped further pressure on Carrick.
