Chelsea sweep aside 10-man Barcelona to boost Champions League standing

Chelsea powered to a commanding 3-0 victory over 10-man Barcelona at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night, tightening their grip on a top-eight finish in the Champions League league phase.

The breakthrough came in the 27th minute when Pedro Neto’s driven effort forced Jules Kounde into diverting the ball into his own net.

According to it New York Times, Barcelona’s night unravelled further just before the interval as Ronald Araújo received a second yellow card, leaving the visitors to play the remainder with 10 men.

Chelsea capitalised after the restart, with Brazilian teenager Estevão producing a superb finish from a tight angle 10 minutes into the second half.

Liam Delap sealed the result shortly after, timing his run perfectly to beat Barcelona’s offside trap before slotting home for 3-0.

The win lifts Chelsea to 10 points from five matchdays, moving them temporarily into fifth place with several fixtures still to be played tomorrow.

Barcelona, stuck on seven points, now face the prospect of missing out on automatic qualification for the knockout phase.

Attention quickly shifts to a demanding run of fixtures across Europe, with clubs playing twice a week over the coming fortnight.

Chelsea will look to carry their momentum into Sunday’s high-stakes London derby against Premier League leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge.

Barcelona, meanwhile, will hope for a steadier outing when they host Deportivo Alavés at Camp Nou on Saturday.

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