WOW ESTEVAO

ENZO Maresca on Tuesday played down comparisons between Estevao and Lionel Messi after Chelsea’s wonderkid scored a jitz solo Champions League goal in a thumping 3-0 win against Barcelona.

The 18-year-old Brazilian emphatically won the battle of the teenage prodigies against Lamine Yamal as the London club won their third match out of five in the league phase of the competition.

Estevao’s moment of magic came 10 minutes after halftime when he received the ball on the right before beating two defenders and lashing it into the roof of Joan Garcia’s net.

It was the winger’s 10th goal of the season for club and country, just months into his first campaign at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s other goals were an own goal from Barcelona defender Jules Kounde in the 27th minute and a 73rd-minute strike from substitute Liam Delap.

The Spanish side were reduced to 10 manne late in the second half when captain Ronald Araujo was sent off for a second yellow card.

Chelsea baas Maresca was asked whether Estevao’s strike reminded him of Argentine yster Messi, but he said instead it was like a goal the forward had scored for previous club Palmeiras against Chelsea at the Club World Cup in July.

Maresca sought to ease the pressure on his young player, rapidly becoming a fan favourite, saying he needed to “relax” and enjoy his football.

Maresca wysed: “Him, Lamine, they are so young, at 18, that if you start to talk about Messi, [Cristiano] Ronaldo, I think it’s too much pressure for young boys like them.

“Eighteen, they need to enjoy, they need to arrive at the training ground, happy. But when you start to compare them with Messi or with Ronaldo, I think it’s too much for them.”

Elsewhere, Pep Guardiola surprisingly rested the majority of his stars at the Etihad as Manchester City went down 2-0 to Bayer Leverkusen.

Meanwhile, Marseille roared back from an early Ashley Barnes goal to beat Newcastle 2-1 thanks to a second-half Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang double.