Estevoo Directly Shines In Full Debut For Chelsea

Estevoo shines as Chelsea beats West Ham United (Instagram/@chelseafc).

JAKARTA - Chelsea's head coach, Enzo Maresca, praised Brazil's young player, Estevoo, after he overtook an initial mistake and made a very impressive full debut in his 5-1 win over West Ham United on Friday.

Estevoo came in at the last minute after Cole Palmer was pulled out a few minutes before kick-off due to pain at the base of his thigh while warming up.

This is his first full start in the Premier League after coming on as a substitute in a 0-0 draw against Crystal Palace last weekend.

The winger provided assists for his team's third goal as they beat West Ham. He received a cross from Liam Delap before running to the right and giving a cross to Enzo Fernandez who then struck the ball into the net.

At the age of 18 years and 120 days, he became the youngest player in Chelsea's history to provide assists in the Premier League.

His appearance was impressive because it came after he lost the ball unnecessary which made West Ham's Lucas Paqueta score in the fifth minute.

"We conceded a goal because of him. He lost the ball during the goal process. He needs to make mistakes to learn."

"But, overall, his performance was very good. (His reaction) shows how good he is. That's the reason why he's here with us," said Maresca.

Estevoo, who played for Palmeiras at last summer's 2025 Club World Cup, came from Brazil with a strong reputation and he proved it against West Ham.

"Estevao played amazingly. He was young, but he showed that he was very mature," said Chelsea defender Marc Cucurella.

Estevoo isn't the only Brazilian player to be recruited this summer to impress. Joao Pedro, who joined Brighton, scored his first league goal for the club with a header to equalize Paqueta's goal early in the game.

Pedro Neto then put Chelsea ahead with a volley. After Fernandez scored the third goal before the break, Moises Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah each scored in the second half.

"Very happy, very impressed, especially because we didn't get it right. Cole's injury conceded after five minutes. However, his reaction was very good," said Maresca.

Apart from that, after two crushing defeats at the start of the season, West Ham received ridicule in the first and second half. Manager Graham Potter, who coached Chelsea for seven months in the 2022/2023 season before being sacked, received some ridicule from supporters as he walked towards the tunnel.

"I have to play better, we have to do better. I have to take responsibility," said Potter.

West Ham captain Jarrod Bowen said he was furious at the team's performance and the result of the match. He said that his team's base was not good enough.

"Everyone must reflect and be very honest," said Bowen.