Liam Delap says much more to come from Chelsea after win over Barcelona
By Robert O'Connor, PA
Chelsea goalscorer Liam Delap insists there is much more to come from the Blues after they swept aside Barcelona in the Champions League.
A stunning display at Stamford Bridge saw the LaLiga giants overwhelmed by Enzo Maresca’s young side who turned in the best display of the Italian’s 18 months in charge.
An outrageous individual goal from Brazilian teenager Estevao stole the show but victory was capped by a first goal at home from £30million summer signing Delap, who finished smartly from Enzo Fernandez’s centre to make it 3-0.
“It was incredible,” he told Chelsea’s club website. “You grow up dreaming of nights like this. We had a game plan and everyone executed it really well.
“I believe we’re building something really good here. We’re working together every day and we’re getting better and better. We come into every game with huge belief. We showed that we can do it against anyone.”
The Blues were superb as they got their Champions League campaign back on track following a disappointing draw away against Qarabag that had heaped pressure on them in their bid to reach the last-16.
The win over Barca, which means two wins from their final three matches will likely be enough for direct passage bypassing February’s play-off round, put further momentum behind a promising season that is quickly gathering pace.
Hansi Flick’s side had no answer to Chelsea’s bite and fluency in attack, nor to their irresistible will to recover the ball.
“We knew how strong Barcelona are and how many good players they have, but we also knew that their high line is so high,” said Delap. “We had to pass the ball about to create that space.”
“We knew that we needed to be defensively solid and that we could hurt them. Defensively everyone was really solid.”
Estevao, already possessed of hero status in west London to judge from the noise that greeted his name being read out before kick-off, cemented further his growing reputation by eclipsing fellow 18-year-old and European Championship winner with Spain, Lamine Yamal, who contributed little.
The Brazilian by contrast scored the goal of his life so far to put Chelsea 2-0 up early in the second half, slipping inside defender Pau Cubarsi then gliding across Alejandro Balde before rifling a rising, unstoppable finish into the net.
“He’s so young but he’s so exciting,” said Delap. “He’s so raw and he’s got the world at his feet at the moment. He’s just got to stay grounded and keep working hard.”
