Chelsea lit up Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night with a commanding 3-0 win over Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League matchday 5.

At the same time, Bayer Leverkusen produced the shock of the round by beating Manchester City on their own turf. It was a night that reshaped the Champions League narrative, with two European giants humbled emphatically.

At Stamford Bridge, all eyes had been on the meeting of teenage prodigies Estevao and Lamine Yamal, but it was the Chelsea youngster who seized the moment.

Ten minutes into the second half, the 18-year-old drifted in from the right, danced between two defenders and unleashed a fierce strike into the roof of Joan Garcia’s net. It was his tenth goal of an impressive debut season with club and country.

His finish left Barcelona, already a goal down and reduced to ten men, with little hope of a recovery. Chelsea were relentless and wrapped up the night when Liam Delap tapped in from close range in the 73rd minute. VAR overturned the initial offside call, much to the delight of the home fans.

Chelsea had threatened long before the breakthrough arrived. Enzo Fernandez twice found the net only to see both attempts ruled out, while Pedro Neto fired over when well placed.

Their persistence paid off in the 27th minute when a short-corner routine caused chaos in the Barca box, ending with Jules Kounde turning the ball into his own net.

Barcelona’s evening worsened just before the interval when captain Ronald Araujo collected a second yellow card for a clumsy challenge on Marc Cucurella. From that point, the five-time champions struggled to string anything meaningful together.

The Stamford Bridge crowd teased Yamal after Estevao’s goal and roared as the winger was withdrawn late on.

Chelsea’s third win in five European games keeps them firmly in the hunt for a top-eight finish, which would seal their place in the last 16.

Across England, Manchester City endured a night to forget. Pep Guardiola’s decision to rotate heavily backfired as Bayer Leverkusen left the Etihad with a stunning 2-0 victory.

Guardiola left out Erling Haaland, Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva and Gianluigi Donnarumma, and his altered side never found their rhythm.

Leverkusen smelled weakness and struck through Alex Grimaldo midway through the first half, finishing smartly after City’s defence failed to close down the danger. The frustration on Guardiola’s face said it all.

City dominated possession but lacked an edge. Omar Marmoush struggled to replicate Haaland’s threat, and Tijjani Reijnders missed a clear chance just before the break. Guardiola introduced Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and Nico O’Reilly at halftime, and the youngster nearly made an immediate impact, but Leverkusen’s back line stood firm.

The visitors doubled their lead in the 54th minute. Ibrahim Maza curled in a teasing cross and Patrik Schick muscled ahead of Nathan Ake to steer a header into the far corner. From there, City never looked like recovering. Even Haaland, brought on late, saw chances slip away.

It was City’s first Champions League home defeat in the group stage since 2018, ending a remarkable 24-match run. They have now suffered back-to-back losses after the weekend setback at Newcastle, raising questions as they fall further behind Arsenal in the Premier League title race.

Other Tuesday Champions League Results (Matchday 5)

Ajax 0-2 Benfica
Galatasaray 0-1 Union Saint-Gilloise
Bodø/Glimt 2-3 Juventus
Napoli 2-0 Qarabag
Marseille 2-1 Newcastle
Dortmund 4-0 Villarreal
Slavia Praha 0-0 Athletic Club