Estevao

Estevao struck in added time for Chelsea to inflict a third straight defeat on Premier League champion Liverpool.

The Brazilian slid in at the far post to seal a 2-1 win for the Blues that sparked wild celebrations after a thrilling clash at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The teenager’s first goal since his move from Palmeiras ensured Liverpool goes into the international break having been knocked off the top of the standings.

Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo had given his side a half-time lead following a fierce drive from outside the box, but Cody Gapko levelled.

“Last season, we lost against Chelsea as well. Stamford Bridge is always difficult [to play at]. We were very close to a result. [It’s all about] Small margins,” Liverpool manager Arne Slot said.

The Dutchman also went on to reflect on the defeats at Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday and at Crystal Palace last weekend.

“As I said at Galatasaray, we had a one-vs-one, then they get a penalty,” he said. “We conceded in extra, extra time against Palace. And then today, they score a goal that could go at either end.”

Arsenal claimed first place, a point ahead of Liverpool, after beating West Ham 2-0 earlier in the day.

Manchester United also secured a crucial victory as they won against Sunderland 2-0.

Relief for Manchester United manager Amorim

Ruben Amorim rang the changes and the Manchester United manager got the result he desperately needed.

United’s win may quieten the mounting speculation over Amorim’s position, even if only temporarily. He has still to lead United to back-to-back victories in the league after almost a year in charge, but this was a step in the right direction.

“Of course, it’s really important to win games and have a better feeling, but we need to forget this game and go for the next one,” he said.

Amorim showed his ruthless side by dropping $84m summer signing Matheus Cunha and handing a first start to new goalkeeper Senne Lammens in a game that was seen as another potential stumbling block after losing three of their opening six league matches.

Those decisions paid off with first-half goals from Mason Mount and Benjamin Sesko at Old Trafford and a first clean sheet of the season.

This was only Amorim’s 10th win from 34 league games and going into Saturday’s match, he accepted it would be “impossible” to continue in the job if results did not turn.

Which is why victory against Sunderland was crucial in a week when he was criticised by United greats Wayne Rooney and Gary Neville, and before the international break, which has traditionally been a convenient time to make managerial changes.

“There’s always a lot of pressure, especially in a club like this, but we always try to take it in a positive way,” said Sesko, who scored for the second game running after his move from RB Leipzig worth up to $99m. “We did it, and we showed once again that we can play well, that we can win games.”

Arsenal on a roll

That is four wins in row for Arsenal.

Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, from the penalty spot, inflicted a first defeat on new West Ham coach Nuno Espirito Santo in Arteta’s 300th game in charge.

“I wanted to celebrate it with a win, I’ve got it,” Arteta said.

After a daunting start to the campaign, Arsenal was back in the title hunt following three seasons as runner-up.

Saka, who scored on his 200th appearance for the club, is convinced Arteta will deliver trophies.

“We’ve had some tough games, particularly away. We are in a strong place in the Premier League and looking forward to coming back and pushing on,” he told the BBC. “Mikel has very much improved my game. I am very grateful to have him as my coach. He will bring this club success and [I’m] looking forward to when that day comes.”

But victory came at a cost after another injury to captain Martin Odegaard.

Kudus gets off the mark for Tottenham

Mohammed Kudus scored his first Tottenham goal to keep Thomas Frank’s team riding high.

Kudus’ second-half strike from the edge of the box secured a 2-1 win at Leeds to move Spurs up to third.

Spurs were unbeaten in their last seven games in all competitions and have lost just once in the league under Frank, who took charge during the off-season.

Kudus was one of Frank’s big signings in the offseason — joining from West Ham — and the forward produced the decisive moment at Elland Road, where he cut in from the right and fired low past Karl Darlow in the 57th minute.

Spurs led through Mathys Tel, whose deflected shot rocketed into the top corner.

Leeds, which was unbeaten at home since February, equalised through Noah Okafor from close range in the 34th.

Senior officials at Chelsea have been expressing excitement about Estevao’s arrival since they agreed his signature more than a year before his eventual move to England.

Fittingly, Estevao scored a brilliant goal from a tight angle against Chelsea in a losing cause on his final appearance for Palmeiras this summer.

He left the Sao Paulo-based club with 27 goals and 15 assists in 83 games.

After that match, he was seen mingling with his future team-mates, including England playmaker Palmer, in what appeared to be a moment of respect between peers.

That game was perhaps an English audience’s first glimpse of Estevao, but Brazilian football experts have long tipped him for the top.

He was the first player under 18 to have 20 goal involvements in a single season in Brazil’s Serie A (12 goals and eight assists), breaking a record set by Neymar.

In the Club World Cup, he won ‘superior player of the match’ twice and, perhaps fittingly, impressed against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, having earned the nickname Messinho – ‘Little Messi’ – in Brazil.

It felt like a coup from Chelsea to beat some of Europe’s leading clubs, including Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, to Estevao’s signature.

He chose Chelsea due to his belief in their vision and the promise of a significant role in his first season, with his sights set on playing for Brazil at the 2026 World Cup.

Estevao consulted former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva before choosing Chelsea in 2024.

The Blues had planned to ease him in slowly, but Palmer’s injury and Estevao’s brilliance have led him to feature in every match – except the draw with Brentford which he missed because of illness.

Palmer hopes to return from a recurring groin problem after the international break.

But even in the star attacker’s absence, Estevao appears ready to deliver more big moments for Chelsea.

CHELSEA hardly needed to play like world-beaters to see off lacklustre Leverkusen.

But there was plenty for the Blues to feel positive about from their first game as world champions.

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Estevao’s goal and all-round first-half performance on his debut was the undoubted highlight, before Club World Cup hero Joao Pedro made it two late on.

And although boss Enzo Maresca regularly showed frustration with his team, this was a decent showing from a group of players with less than a week of training under their belt.

Maresca gave 10 outfield substitutes a run out without losing control of a game that at times had a bit more needle than he would have liked.

The way Cole Palmer linked up with Estevao will have pleased the Chelsea head coach.

The challenge which former Liverpool defender Jarell Quansah put in on Palmer will have had him wincing.

Especially after losing defender Levi Colwill to ACL surgery after a knock picked up in the very first training session since the CWC victory.

Palmer was incensed, and his team-mates backed him up in a brief outbreak of handbags.

Yet it was Chelsea who looked the fresher team.

Former Bundesliga champions Leverkusen had been working together for a full pre-season under new boss Erik ten Hag.

But they felt like one of Ten Hag’s old Manchester United teams: flat and toothless up front, having lost playmaker Florian Wirtz and wing-back Jeremie Frimpong to Liverpool.

Blues goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen made only a couple of routine saves and the visitors were unable to capitalise on the odd defensive error.

Otherwise it was all Chelsea.

Marc Cucurella and Estevao had shots blocked before the Brazilian started and finished the key move of the match.

After retrieving the ball near the halfway line, the right winger Cucurella, whose pass inside fell for Palmer.

The No 10s lob came back off the bar but Estevao volleyed it home.

Chelsea’s new No 9, Liam Delap, had two decent sights of goal but was denied each time by former Brentford goalkeeper Mark Flekken.

Delap might have done better, particularly with the first opportunity from Cucurella’s cross.

Estevao saw a shot blocked by Piero Hincapie’s head just before the break.

Palmer went off at half time, presumably as a precaution rather than because of any lasting damage from Quansah’s foul.

Estevao took his place in the No 10 position, leaving Pedro Neto to “follow that” on the right wing.

The young Brazilian had been less impressive in the second half yet had a chance to make the night even more special.

But he pulled a good chance wide before being replaced with 15 minutes to go to a loud ovation from the crowd.

Neto forced a decent save from Flekken and Chelsea were on the verge of settling for a scoreline that did not reflect their superiority.

But Joao Pedro put some extra shine on a night lit up by his fellow Brazilian Estevao with a last-gasp second.

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Abel Ferreira hesitated for a second, insisted he wouldn’t say what he had in his mind, but then – in a rare moment of full disclosure when it comes to young talents – he opened up.

“This player is different from everything I’ve ever seen,” the Palmeiras coach said in a press conference in May 2024, following a 2-1 win over Botafogo-SP in the Brazilian Cup.

The two-time Libertadores champion is not particularly known for letting himself get carried away too easily, especially in front of the cameras. But that night, he allowed himself to speak freely because he couldn’t believe his eyes – then 17-year-old Estevao had just scored the winner in the final minutes and put on a spectacular show once more.

Such is the impact the left-footed winger had the season before last that Ferreira tried, in vain, to convince the club board not to sell him. That was too late, though.

Chelsea beat the competition of the likes of Bayern Munich, Paris St-Germain and Manchester City to sign the Palmeiras wonderkid in a deal that could eventually be worth £52m and that will see him arrive at Stamford Bridge after Fifa’s new Club World Cup in July 2025.

Other Brazilian teenagers such as Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo left for Europe at the same age for huge fees. They’ve both proved themselves already on the big stages since then. But none of them were as hyped as Estevao when they first moved abroad.

There’s a feeling in Brazil that the boy from the countryside of Sao Paulo may be something else, the kind of player that comes along once a decade and seems destined to the very top.

“Estevao is the best player to have emerged from Brazilian football since Neymar. You watch him and you fall in love,” the head of Palmeiras’ academy, Joao Paulo Sampaio, told BBC Sport.

“He already impresses with his technique but, like Neymar at this same point in his career, he has not yet matured physically and is not as strong as Endrick, so he could still develop a lot. That’s what amazes everyone and makes them think that he will reach a much higher level.”

Chelsea may have struck gold with their new signing.