Estêvão played a pivotal role in Chelsea‘s 3-1 win over a 10-man Crystal Palace, marking Chelsea’s first away victory in the Premier League under Liam Rosenior. Estêvão not only scored the opener but also provided an assist in the match.
The 18-year-old Brazilian capitalized on a defensive error from the Eagles to score in the 34th minute, then assisted João Pedro shortly after halftime.
Enzo Fernández extended Chelsea’s lead with a penalty goal just after the hour mark, as Palace faced a significant disadvantage when Adam Wharton received a second yellow card.
Crystal Palace managed a late consolation goal through Chris Richards in the 88th minute, but the team’s winless streak has now reached 11 matches in all competitions.
Despite missing Cole Palmer, Chelsea aimed to break their string of four consecutive Premier League draws against struggling Palace.
The game’s first real opportunity arose in the eighth minute when Benoît Badiashile lost possession to Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaïla Sarr, resulting in Sarr taking a low shot at Robert Sánchez, who saved it with his foot.
Fernández attempted to score from distance but put his shot over the goal; Chelsea was gaining momentum, with Moisés Caicedo also sending an attempt well off target.
A crucial tackle by Andrey Santos thwarted Palace’s January acquisition Brennan Johnson from capitalizing on an excellent cross from Munoz.
Sarr came close to scoring after a cheeky flick allowed him into the box, but he couldn’t find a way past Sánchez.
The opener came as a result of a careless backpass from Jaydee Canvot, which Estêvão seized to unleash a powerful left-footed shot. The teenager narrowly missed with another effort before halftime.
Just four and a half minutes into the second half, Chelsea doubled their lead. Estêvão assisted João Pedro, who deftly maneuvered past Wharton’s tackle to score past Henderson.
Opportunities continued to mount for Chelsea, with Estêvão being denied once more by Henderson and Canvot facing increasing pressure.
When João Pedro shot from close range, the ball appeared to have deflected off Canvot’s hip before grazing his upper arm. After a lengthy VAR review, referee Darren England ruled it an accidental handball, leading to a penalty and a yellow card but no red.
Fernández stepped up and confidently converted the penalty into the bottom right corner past Henderson.
The match worsened for Palace when Wharton received a second yellow for a sliding tackle in the 73rd minute, leaving his team with just 10 players. Johnson nearly scored shortly after, but his shot went wide of the mark. Finally, Richards managed to head in a rebound from an earlier Sánchez save to score a consolation for Palace.