[Getty Images]Nizaar Kinsella - Chelsea reporter at Elland RoadThu, December 4, 2025 at 9:03 AM UTC·1 min readChelsea manager Enzo Maresca says teenage sensation Estevao Willian struggled to "manage his emotions" during the 3-1 defeat at Leeds.
The 18-year-old was substituted at half-time for goalscorer Pedro Neto after receiving a yellow card for what appeared to be a deliberate foul on Gabriel Gudmundsson towards the end of the first half.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAsked if the change was to protect him from a potential red card, Maresca said: "I think the feeling with Estevao was a little bit: 'Welcome to the Premier League, welcome to Leeds'.
"The impact for him was probably huge. The reason we changed him was because he already had a yellow card.
"Sometimes when you are 18, you struggle to manage your emotions, so it was better to change him and avoid any red card."
The result was a setback after the positivity of the previous seven days, given the sensational 3-0 win at home to Barcelona and a valiant 1-1 draw against league leaders Arsenal, having played with 10 men for more than half the match.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMaresca was without star midfielder Moises Caicedo, who he admitted "we missed", while Reece James was only fit enough for the bench and defender Wesley Fofana was rested.
"Moi [Caicedo], Reece [James], Wes [Fofana] - we cannot use them every game," Maresca added. "It's impossible, because otherwise they can get injured again and be out for months and months.
"I hope it was just a bad night, because it's a game where you struggle to find anything positive. I think, again, they were better than us on the ball, off the ball, and with second balls – in all aspects."
