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EPL Premier League Drama Estevao scored and assisted against Crystal Palace on Sunday Getty Images ‘Oh, when the Samba rhythm starts to play, dance with me, make me sway. Estevao running down the wing, scoring goals, makes the Chelsea sing! ’ Estevao walked off the pitch with 20 minutes remaining and Chelsea coasting at 3-0. The visiting fans serenaded their 18-year-old star — and with good reason, too. The Brazilian with the dancing feet had been the difference maker against a struggling Crystal Palace side now without a victory in their last 11 matches. Advertisement In a turbulent and often confusing season at Chelsea, Estevao has been a constant source of optimism, providing a much-needed spark and the player to get fans out of their seats. At Selhurst Park, he gave Tyrick Mitchell a tough afternoon, showcasing his full repertoire, with his ability to either burn a defender at pace down the line or cleverly link play with deft touches and jinking runs inside. His goal, Chelsea’s first, came courtesy of a Jaydee Canvot mistake, as Estevao was sent racing clear following a sloppy backpass. However, there was still a lot of work to do, and with Mitchell clipping at his heels, the 18-year-old showed excellent composure to keep him at bay before planting a clinical shot past Dean Henderson. He almost followed that up with a second before half-time that flashed past the post following another darting run. Given the winger’s impact this season, it seemed hard to believe that was his first Premier League goal since that dramatic late winner against Liverpool at the start of October, and his first in any competition after that magnificent solo effort against Barcelona in November. Yet that doesn’t tell the full story, and it’s certainly no reflection on Estevao’s quality. In his first season in England, there have been some small injuries, and he missed Chelsea’s last Premier League match against Brentford through illness. Previous head coach Enzo Maresca also urged a degree of caution and spoke of the need to protect the teenager. According to Opta, Estevao now has the joint-most goals (six) of any player while aged 18 or under for the club in the Premier League era, along with Callum Hudson-Odoi and Marc Guiu. Early in the second half, goalscorer Estevao then turned provider, with a perfectly weighted clipped ball into the path of fellow Brazilian Joao Pedro, who showed great poise in the box to cut back and finish with his left foot. That put Chelsea two goals ahead and out of sight. Advertisement When Enzo Fernandez scored their third, a penalty that was given following a VAR check, Liam Rosenior brought Estevao off. “He’s a player with special abilities, special talent, ” Rosenior said in his post-match press conference. “He’s been ill, and every time he’s been on the pitch so far with me, I think he’s been outstanding. ” With Cole Palmer again missing through injury, and Chelsea carefully managing his minutes, Estevao showed he’s capable of stepping up in his absence, especially with fellow wingers Pedro Neto and Alejandro Garnacho searching for their best form. It was noticeable how, shortly after succeeding Maresca, Rosenior said he preferred to use the term “look after” rather than “protect” when asked about Estevao in a press conference, as reported by Chelsea FC. com. Post-match, when asked how he was doing that, Rosenior replied: “I think there are many aspects. Firstly, off the pitch, I know his family are here with him. I know the club have worked really, really hard for him to settle. I also know that Andrey Santos and Joao Pedro have helped him settle into this country. “In terms of on the pitch, with an 18-year-old with the talent like his, you have to manage his minutes. You have to manage the games that you think are the right moments for him to have an impact. And I’ll keep doing that because I want him to have an outstanding season. I want him to have an outstanding career as well. ” Against Palace, another youngster who caught the eye was Santos. Santos is familiar to Rosenior from their time together at Strasbourg. He was a commanding presence in midfield, man-marking Brennan Johnson out of possession. Santos completed 63 successful passes, behind only Benoit Badiashile (with 72), while he had the highest number of duels won (seven), along with Badiashile and Marc Cucurella, according to Stats Perform. Advertisement In an interview with The Athletic last year, Rosenior compared Santos to Dunga, the 1994 Brazil World Cup winning captain (“he’s Brazilian but he doesn’t play like one”) — and he was effusive in his praise of Santos after the game. Rosenior explained: “I changed the shape of the play. It’s hard to explain. It’s like a semi-four or semi-five at the back with Andrey in between. I’m lucky with Andrey because he’s done it for me before. He’s done that same position against Marseille and PSG last year. “The beauty of having Andrey there allowed Moi (Caicedo) to stay in the middle of the pitch where I love him to be and him and Enzo at the top. ” For Rosenior, it’s now four wins from his opening five games as Chelsea head coach. After two unconvincing victories against Brentford and Pafos in their previous two outings, Sunday’s 3-1 win felt like a marked improvement, with Chelsea in control for much of the contest. Rosenior, though, was frustrated with how they closed out the match, with another goal conceded from a set piece. Still, this will give Chelsea and Rosenior a platform on which to build as they head into a packed schedule, starting with Napoli away in the Champions League on Wednesday. Tom Burrows is a football news writer for The Athletic UK. He was previously a staff editor for three years. Prior to that, he worked on news and investigations for national newspapers. Follow Tom on Twitter @TBurrows16