Estevao Willian really caught Daniel Sturridge’s eye in Chelsea’s 2-1 victory over Liverpool on Saturday.
Estevao started on the bench but was brought on in the second half as Chelsea searched for a winner.
Thankfully for Enzo Maresca and the Stamford Bridge faithful, the Brazilian was able to find one, popping up in the 95th minute to score a tap-in.
Unsurprisingly, Estevao was shown plenty of love by his teammates on Instagram after the game.
Daniel Sturridge impressed with Estevao Willian’s timing and runs in Chelsea vs Liverpool
Most football supporters would have just seen Estevao’s goal as a simple tap-in. For an ex-striker like Sturridge, though, it was much more than that.
The former Chelsea and Liverpool star was impressed by the fact that the 18-year-old already knows how to time his runs to the back post.
Speaking about Estevao on Sky Sports after the game, Sturridge said: “Those are the goals that make a player’s career. As a winger, your job is to be at the back post and get those tap ins.
“Estevao’s timing and connection is brilliant — at his age, to have the awareness to do that is fantastic.”
Another ex-Chelsea player, Pat Nevin, also had a lot of positive things to say about Estevao following his performance against Liverpool.
Nevin tipped Estevao to become a “special” footballer in the future. Some would argue that the Brazil international already is.
Chelsea fans will now be praying for their wonderkid not to get injured over the international break.
What Daniel Sturridge now wants to see from Chelsea following Liverpool win
Chelsea’s victory over the Premier League champions was a massive win for the club. But Sturridge does not think it is time to get carried away.
He now wants to see them put in similar performances on a consistent basis.
As Sturridge discussed Maresca on Sky Sports, he said: “You saw what it meant to Chelsea — not just to the players but to the management. Maresca was being questioned, and the start of the season wasn’t ideal.
“They will come out of this game understanding that they’re capable of performances like that — but they need to do it game after game.”
Whether Chelsea will be able to do it remains to be seen. After all, they are still a very young team, and young teams lack consistency.
You just never know what you are actually going to get from Maresca’s side. One day they are beating the champions, the other, they are losing to the worst Manchester United team in the Premier League era.
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