Now you've seen how World Champs play! Chelsea outclass Barca and teach them painful lesson
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Reading Time: 4min | Wed. 26.11.25. | 07:33
The Blues absolutely dominated the ten-man Catalans, beating them 3-0, though their win could've been even more convincing as they had as many as three goals disallowed
They still remember the 2012 Champions League semi-finals, and the inferiority complex is still there! If there was any doubt, after Barcelona's latest display against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, it's crystal clear - the Blues are the Catalans' kryptonite!
Hansi Flick's team was humiliated, and his strategy was shattered, as his men looked like a fifth-tier side facing Chelsea in some of the English cups.
The Blues had three goals disallowed, yet still managed to score as many times and easily brush aside the rivals - 3-0.
Truth be told, Barca played with a man down since the 44th minute, following their captain, Ronald Araujo's dismissal, but even before that, Chelsea dominated the game and were 1-0 up thanks to Jules Kounde's clumsy and ridiculous 27th-minute own goal.
After the break, Enzo Maresca's men had an easy task against an indisposed and overmatched rival. Estevao doubled their lead ten minutes after the break and definitely sealed the visitors' fate.
The cherry on top of the Premier League side's triumph was Liam Delap's goal in the 73rd minute, which completed the Catalans' London catastrophe.
A big win for Chelsea ahead of their Premier League match against Arsenal at the weekend.
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) November 25, 2025
Despite having three goals disallowed, Enzo Maresca's side beat Barcelona 3-0 with goals from Estevao & Liam Delap, as well as a Jules Kounde own goal. pic.twitter.com/4rNwjXOZze
Although it was little expected, Chelsea absolutely dominated the Catalans in the first half. Two Enzo Fernandez's goals were disallowed - interestingly, both for his teammates' (Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah) "mistakes" - a handball and offside.
Attempts before Barca's custodian, Joan Garcia, were coming one after another, but Enzo, Pedro Neto, and Reece James failed to break the deadlock.
On the other hand, the Blaugrana had only one opportunity, but a massive one, the best in the entire first period. Six minutes into the game, Ferran Torres found himself alone in front of Robert Sanchez and shocked everyone at Stamford Bridge, firing it wide of the post.
Since the Spaniards' performance was abysmal and as they wasted such a colossal chance, Chelsea eventually capitalized on their superior play and made their dominance count in the 27th minute, though they had a slight help from Jules Kounde.
Marc Cucurella crossed the ball inside Barca's box, Torres blocked Pedro Neto's close-range attempt with a goal-line clearance, but couldn't stop the Frenchman from clumsily putting the ball into his own net!
And if Hansi Flick and Barca fans thought their display and situation couldn't be worse, Ronald Araujo took care of convincing them otherwise, receiving a second yellow card a minute before the break and putting a cherry on top of the Catalans' horrendous first half.
The second period started jut as the opening - with the Blues' disallowed goal. This time, Andrey Santos scored, but it didn't stand, as Alejandro Garnacho who assisted was offside prior to the pass he sent. Still, it was a clear message for Barca.
And it arrived ten minutes after the break, when Estevao made Pau Cubarsi and Alejandro Balde look like they were kids on ice, and unleashed a powerful missile into the net, doubling Chelsea's advantage - 2-0!
Chelsea's thrashing continued, but Neto and Estevao missed their chances to extend the lead and further embarrass Flick's crew. Yet, no one at Stamford Bridge thought their boys were done, and the 73th minute showed they were right.
This time, VAR was on the Blues' side as Liam Delap's goal was initially ruled out for Enzo's offside, but the video technology corrected the assistant referee's error, confirming the home team's 3-0 lead.
Maresca's men could have easily further humiliated the visitors, if they wanted to and chased more goals, but the Italian gaffer opted for a peaceful end of the match, giving some playing time to youngsters from the bench.
Given that the rivals were tied in the UCL table before the clash in London, this win launched Chelsea to the fourth spot, while the Catalans dropped to the 15th place, as this crushing defeat seriously jeopardized their Champions League ambitions.
UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 5
Tuesday
Ajax - Benfica 0-2 (0-1)
/Dahl 6, Barreiro 90/
Galatasaray - St. Gilloise 0-1 (0-0)
/David 57/
Bodo - Juventus 2-3 (1-0)
/Blomberg 27, Fet 85 pen - Openda 48, McKennie 59, David 90+1/
Chelsea - Barcelona 3-0 (1-0)
/Kounde 27 og, Estevao 55, Delap 73/
Dortmund - Villarreal 4-0 (1-0)
/Guriassy 45+2, 54, Adeyemi 59, Svensson 90+5/
Manchester City - Leverkusen 0-2 (0-1)
/Grimaldo 23, Schick 54/
Napoli - Qarabag 2-0 (0-0)
/McTominay 66, Jankovic 72 og/
Olympique Marseille - Newcastle 2-1 (0-1)
/Aubameyang 46, 50 - Barnes 6/
Slavia Praha - Athletic Bilbao 0-0
Wednesday
20.45: (1.35) Copenhagen (5.50) Kairat Almaty (10.0)
20.45: (5.10) Paphos (3.70) Monaco (1.70)
23.00: (2.25) Arsenal (3.65) Bayern (3.20)
23.00: (2.35) Atl.Madrid (3.50) Inter (3.20)
23.00: (2.60) Eintr.Frankfurt (3.50) Atalanta (2.85)
23.00: (1.35) Liverpool (5.80) PSV (9.00)
23.00: (7.20) Olympiakos (5.20) Real Madrid (1.42)
23.00: (1.37) PSG (5.10) Tottenham (7.75)
23.00: (1.70) Sporting (4.30) Club Brugge (4.80)
***odds are subject to change***
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