Chelsea put on a ruthless display against West Ham on Friday evening, with Brazilian teenager Estêvão starring on his full debut in a 5-1 hammering at the London Stadium.
Estêvão came into the starting lineup just ahead of kick-off after Cole Palmer was forced out of the pre-game warm-up through injury, and he started nervously, giving the ball away in the lead-up to a stunning long-range opener from West Ham’s Lucas Paquetá.
The Hammers’ tails were up after such a dramatic start to their first home game of the season, and they had the ball in the back of the net again early on, only for Niclas Füllkrug’s shot to be ruled out due to an offside.
But Chelsea soon clicked into gear themselves, equalising through João Pedro’s header and taking the lead thanks to a 23rd-minute close-range finish from Pedro Neto in a dramatic start to the fixture.
Estêvão’s best moment came with a little over half an hour gone, with the Brazilian picking up a second ball and tearing through a bamboozled West Ham defence before laying it on a plate for Enzo Fernández to make it 3-1.
And things went from bad to worse for a shell-shocked West Ham after the interval, as Chelsea scored twice in quick succession from corners. Goalkeeper Mads Hermansen was largely at fault on both occasions, with Moisés Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah the players to take advantage.
The stands around the London Stadium were largely empty come full-time as a demoralising start to the season continues for the Hammers, but for Chelsea the future looks particularly bright thanks to their new Brazilian wünderkind.
