EPL: Estevao Sets Record As Chelsea Defeat Liverpool 2:1

Brazilian wonder kid Estevao Willian scored the winning goal to lead Chelsea to a stunning 2-1 win over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The depleted hosts produced a battling performance despite missing eight players due to injuries.

Enzo Maresca started Josh Acheampong and Benoit Badiashile in the heart of the defence, but both players limped off in the second half due to injuries.

Liverpool coach, Arne Slot, opted to leave £116m summer signing Florian Wirtz on the bench following his underwhelming start to life at Anfield.

Alexander Isak was preferred above Hugo Ekitike, while Giorgi Mamardashvili replaced the injured Alisson.

Moises Caicedo opened the scoring with a thunderbolt effort in the 14th minute to give Chelsea the lead.

Cody Gakpo brought Liverpool back into the game with a close-range finish in the 62nd minute.

Maresca brought on Estevao for Pedro Neto in the 75th minute.

The Brazilian winger quickly showed his quality with a pinpoint cross for Enzo Fernandez, who failed to direct his header on target.

He finished off Marc Cucurella’s low cross in the 95th minute to hand Chelsea the maximum points.

Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca was sent off for his wild celebrations after receiving a yellow card earlier for complaining.

Estevao is now the youngest Brazilian to score the winning goal in a Premier League game at the age of 18 years and 163 days.

It was a frustrating day for Liverpool, who have now suffered a third consecutive defeat in all competitions.

The Reds suffered a last-minute defeat to Crystal Palace last weekend before another 1-0 defeat to Galatasaray in the Champions League.

It is the first time that Liverpool have suffered three consecutive losses since 2023, when Jürgen Klopp was in charge, for defeats against Bournemouth, Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Liverpool coach Arne Slot was disappointed with the defeat while admitting that the team is a work in progress.

He said, “You are never close to your ideal. You have to work very hard to reach a certain level, and then it’s hard to maintain that level because you play against other quality teams.

“We had our changes in the summer. Players came in at different moments. In the last weeks, there has hardly been any training time. We need to bring these players into our style.

“If we had a draw today, we would have had a great start to the season if you take into account everything that happened in the summer with Liverpool.”

Chelsea will return to Premier League action against Nottingham Forest after the international break, while Liverpool will hope to bounce back against Manchester United on October 19.