Cole Palmer was ruled out of Chelsea's Premier League win over West Ham at the London Stadium on Friday after suffering an injury during the warm-up.
The England international was replaced in Chelsea's starting lineup by Brazilian teenager Estêvão as Chelsea went on to win 5-1 over their London rivals.
After leaving the warm-up early and walking down the tunnel, Palmer took a seat on the Chelsea bench as the game kicked off.
Speaking after the game, Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said Palmer had been taken out of the team as a precaution.
"In the last four or five days he was not 100 percent and tonight in the warmup he felt again something so we prefer to not start with him, not take any risk to make it worse," he told Sky Sports. "We'll see in the next hours [how he is]."
In Palmer's place, 18-year-old Estêvão made his first start in the Premier League after arriving from Palmeiras in the summer. And he impressed, providing an assist for Enzo Fernández's goal to make it 3-0 before halftime.
Chelsea had five different scorers, with João Pedro, Pedro Neto, Moisés Caicedo and Trevoh Chalobah also finding the net.
It was Chelsea's first win of the season after a goalless draw with Crystal Palace on the Premier League's opening weekend.
Newer articles
Older articles
Aamir Khan Details Refusal of Underworld Invitation: Money, Pressure, and Family Fears
Ishan Kishan Turns to Spin: Indian Star Mimics Harbhajan & Warne in County Cricket Surprise
Prithvi Shaw Admits to Misguided Choices and Lost Focus Amid Career Slump
Manchester City Dominate Manchester United in Derby Thrashing; Haaland, Foden Shine
India's Fielding Woes Under Scrutiny After Test Defeat: Former Selector Demands Improvement
Vishnu Manchu Reveals Bollywood Director Choice for 'Kannappa' Amid Tollywood Hesitancy After Flops
Chelsea Enters Race for Brighton's Joao Pedro Amidst Transfer Window Frenzy
Kovac Confident Bellingham Brothers Will Clash Despite Jobe's Suspension
Rishabh Pant's Fearless Batting Revolutionizes Test Cricket: Greg Chappell Hails Game-Changing Innings
Chess Sensation: 9-Year-Old Indian Prodigy Holds Magnus Carlsen to Draw in Online Tournament