Estevao setting benchmark for Chelsea and pushing for Wolves start | OneFootball

Brazilian teenager led the way against Qarabag and is performing for Enzo Maresca with a maturity beyond his years

Chelsea’s teen sensation led the way, a bundle of energy and a constant out-ball all night at the Tofiq Bahramov Stadium.

On current form, he is leading the way at the club more broadly, the 18-year-old now their top scorer this season and playing with an innocent absence of pressure while quickly refining a deadly efficiency of end product in the box. In his last seven games, he has four goals.

Estevao scored Chelsea’s opener against Qarabag

Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Once back level at 2-2 thanks to Alejandro Garnacho’s rasping drive shortly after coming on at half-time, Chelsea fell flat again as Qarabag grew again. But they picked up towards the end and an open and stretched final 20 minutes presented a catalogue of chances for the Blues.

The closest to upgrading a point on the road into three was, naturally, Estevao, who weaved into the box but arrowed the ball just over the bar.

Chelsea’s late finishing was visibly a source of frustration to Maresca, who could be seen flapping up and down in his technical area and turning away in anguish after each and every missed opportunity.

Garnacho (after having scored), Enzo Fernandez (twice) and half-time substitute Liam Delap (twice) were all unable to convert fairly presentable chances.

While pricier players misfired, Estevao had kept his composure and notched Champions League goals in successive games, having become the club’s youngest-ever scorer in the competition by converting a ruthless penalty in last month’s 5-1 rout of Ajax.

No South American player had ever scored in successive Champions League games at 18 before. They have now, and it is little surprise the first to do so was Estevao, valued this week by expert football research body CIES as a £103.8million player, the world’s most valuable teenager other than Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal. Certainly, his value is only heading in one direction at present.

Estevao is now pushing to start his first Premier League game since September

Chelsea FC via Getty Images

Andrey Santos appeared before the media this week and reflected on his nightmare loan at Nottingham Forest a couple of years back, concluding that he is now, finally, ready for the Premier League aged 21.

Different players have different processes, different journeys, he explained, and the example he gave of Estevao as a young talent who has shown no signs of needing loan spells to play his way into Chelsea contention was an appropriate one.

Chelsea fans feel the same way as the powers that be within the club do, that the Brazil international is a very special prospect indeed, whose potential in the coming years no one dares put a ceiling on.

Maresca is searching for consistency from his side from game to game and for a repeatable fluidity in the final third, especially when, as he did in Baku, he rests players and makes changes.

The mercurial Estevao is setting the standard for his team-mates, the club’s most dependable attacker right now as they await Joao Pedro and Delap to hit top form and Cole Palmer to return from his groin injury.

Joao Pedro could not contain a beaming smile when speaking about Estevao’s ability in an interview with Standard Sport earlier this season.

“Mate, he’s from the street,” Estevao's Brazil team-mate said. “You can see he is natural.”

More and more, Chelsea’s coaching staff are noticing that he is growing in maturity, becoming less raw, more regularly picking the right option and delivering the goods in the final third.

Against Qarabag, Estevao did not always cut onto his left, at times going outside his full-back and pulling back from the by-line. On one occasion, partly because the defender expected him to cut in and partly because of his searing pace, this almost brought Chelsea their elusive third goal.

Defenders can’t handle him, and Chelsea are well and truly reaping the rewards.

It may have been a disappointing 5,000-mile round trip to Azerbaijan for the Blues, but that Estevao was once again the star of the show was no bad thing. He is pushing hard for a first Premier League start since September. Wolves, Saturday’s visitors to Stamford Bridge, have been given advance warning.