It seems a lifetime ago that Jose Mourinho, before his first spell at Chelsea, careered down the Old Trafford touchline to celebrate a Porto winner against Manchester United. That was 2004, before Estevao was even born.
Now, 21 years later, Enzo Maresca is the man who flew down the Stamford Bridge grass to cheer a goal scored by his 18-year-old Brazilian attacker.
Chelsea had been up against it when facing Liverpool on Sunday night. They had taken the lead through Moises Caicedo’s long-range effort but were quickly pegged back by Cody Gakpo. However, Estevao popped up at the end of the game to net the winner, condemning Liverpool to a third-straight defeat and launching Chelsea to sixth in the table.
The teenager ran to the corner flag to perform a knee slide and celebrate, and he was soon followed by his teammates, as expected. But then television cameras cut to the touchline, capturing Maresca sprinting down to join in and celebrate with his players.
The Italian manager was then seen punching the air and celebrating in front of the home fans before making a quick escape and heading back to his dugout. Unfortunately, he wasn’t swift enough to avoid punishment. Having already received a yellow card earlier in the game, Maresca was given his marching orders by referee Anthony Taylor.
This marked Chelsea’s fourth red card in five games, following dismissals for Robert Sanchez, Trevoh Chalobah, and Joao Pedro. Despite the setbacks, it was an important three points for Maresca’s side, who had lost against Brighton in their previous outing.
Liverpool, meanwhile, after being five points clear at the top of the league last time out, have now surrendered that lead to Arsenal, who beat West Ham 2-0 earlier in the day.
Former Liverpool and Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge spoke on Sky Sports about the celebrations:
“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.”
Meanwhile, Mourinho returned to Chelsea as recently as this week, when he took his Benfica side to Stamford Bridge in a 1-0 defeat.
“Of course I thank them,” he said after supporters sang his name three times during the game. “I did it on the pitch. I live around here. I talk with them every day on the street. I hope to come back here in 20 years with my grandkids. They [Chelsea] belong to my history and I belong to theirs.”
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