Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 as Estevao earns his moment
Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, and one of the afternoon's standout performances came from a 19-year-old who had barely played all season.
Estevao Willian is a Brazilian winger, a wide attacker who runs at defenders. Chelsea signed him from Palmeiras for £38m. Before this game he had started only one match all season, a Carabao Cup tie against Luton Town in September. He had also sat on the bench as an unused substitute in Chelsea's midweek penalty shootout defeat by Liverpool.
Head coach Xabi Alonso, the man in charge of team selection, said the decision to start Estevao came after Chelsea's home defeat by Tottenham. Estevao had been told at the start of the week that he would play. Alonso praised his response, saying he had shown "that he deserves more, that he was prepared", according to Chelsea FC.
The result turned on a moment of quality from Morgan Rogers. Chelsea's £117m club record signing received the ball from Romeo Lavia and chipped it over goalkeeper Senne Lammens in the 50th minute. The chip, a soft lofted shot, gave Chelsea the lead. Manchester United were later reduced to 10 men, according to the Premier League.
Alonso also changed the shape of his attack. He chose not to play a traditional centre-forward, the orthodox striker who usually leads the line. Pedro Neto was given that job instead, as Chelsea FC reported.
Estevao was involved throughout. He played 86 minutes and had six shots, the joint-most by a Chelsea player in a Premier League match this season. He had 12 touches in the opposition penalty area, created three chances, sent in eight crosses and completed five dribbles, where he beat a defender with the ball.
Two of his goals were ruled out for offside. An offside call is made when an attacker is ahead of the last defender when the ball is played to them. One came early in the match. The other was a near-post finish in the second half. Neither stood, and the second one came in the 71st minute.
When he came off, Estevao received a standing ovation from the Stamford Bridge crowd. Alonso gave him a hug on the touchline.
The day also carried pressure for the other dugout. Reuters reported that the decision to start Estevao came after fans had criticised Chelsea for not using him enough. Manchester United's head coach, Carrick, faced growing questions after the defeat, according to Reuters.
For Chelsea, the win came with a clear message from the coach. Alonso said before the match that Estevao would get more chances this season, and he kept that promise on a day when a young player's patience was finally rewarded.
