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Estevao Willian first started playing football in England at this time.

Estevao scored a 95th-minute winner to give Chelsea a 2-1 win over Premier League leaders Liverpool after more than 16 months since a deal was reached to bring the teenager from Palmeiras to Stamford Bridge.

Enzo Maresca, Blues manager, was given a red card for running 50 yards in celebration with his teammates after the goal sparked such emotion.

Former England international Wayne Rooney, a pundit on Saturday’s Match of the Day, said: “For an 18-year-old, he’s a special talent and could develop into a really top player.

“I believe he’s the kind of winger that Chelsea fans will aspire to see play every week,” he said.

Chelsea found a way to win, with Estevao providing the decisive moment despite the injury that left two more central defenders on Saturday and the absence of Cole Palmer as the star attacker.

The Brazilian slammed in at the back post to tap in Marc Cucurella’s low cross, which was surprisingly straightforward.

However, Estevao, who was substituted in the 75th minute, had already created two chances for team-mates, including a cross that Enzo Fernandez headed against the post.

Previous matches showed Estevao’s level of quality, with his variety of nutmegs, movies, and other eye-catching moments giving the crowds’ gasps.

Estevao had already established himself as a top player for one of Brazil’s biggest clubs and had already won seven caps for the country under the leadership of legendary former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Since joining the club world cup after the summer’s end, it is understandable that he has taken a little longer to settle in England.

After Maresca received a red card, Chelsea assistant coach Willy Caballero said, “We know that a young player can suffer when he moves from another country to settle down here and play for this club.”

“First of all, the players are doing a fantastic job of getting the new players to participate. And we work when given the chance.

Because he understands, I can communicate with him in Spanish most of the time. And he’s a fantastic child. And we’re so happy for him because he needs a goal as well, just like we do.

Pat Nevin, a former Chelsea winger, thinks Estevao will be “special.”

On BBC Radio 5 Live, Nevin said, “Every time any Chelsea player gets the ball, they try to find Estevao.” That tells you a player’s story.

Since signing Estevao more than a year prior to his eventual arrival at Chelsea, senior Chelsea officials have been expressing excitement over his arrival.

In fitting fashion, Estevao made his final appearance for Palmeiras this summer, scoring a brilliant goal from a close range against Chelsea in a losing cause.

In 83 games, he scored 27 goals and added 15 assists for the Sao Paulo-based club.

In what appeared to be a moment of respect between peers, he was seen mingling with his future team-mates, including England playmaker Palmer.

Brazilian football experts have long predicted Estevao for the top, even though that game was perhaps his first glimpse into the English public.

In Brazil’s Serie A, he broke Neymar’s record of 20 goals and eight assists in a single season as a player under the age of 18, breaking Neymar’s record.

He twice won “superior player of the match” at the Club World Cup and, fittingly, impressed against Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami, where he was nicknamed “Little Messi” in Brazil.

Chelsea’s victory over Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Bayern Munich was seen as a coup, according to Estevao.

He chose Chelsea because he wanted a significant role in his first season and because he wanted to represent Brazil at the 2026 World Cup.

Before choosing Chelsea in 2024, Estevao consulted former Chelsea defender Thiago Silva.

Although the Blues had intended to gradually ease him in, Palmer’s injury and Estevao’s skill have allowed him to play in every game, aside from the draw with Brentford, which he missed due to illness.

After the international break, Palmer hopes to recover from a persistent groin issue.

What happens now that a 91st-minute Edinburgh Derby winner has sparked a euphoric home crowd’s chorus of “we shall not be moved” at a rocking Tynecastle?

All we’re trying to do is win games, McInnes said, adding that his unbeaten side are now five points clear. “You have to accept and understand from a professional standpoint.

“But why shouldn’t the fans be stoked?” And congratulations on that. That’s the job of a fan, after all.

The owner of Brighton, who many criticized, made the comments, but with Rangers in turmoil and Celtic yet to hit top gear, that bold assessment seems to be getting more realistic.

On Sunday, both Old Firm clubs will play their matches in hand over Hearts, but Russell Martin’s men are already 12 points adrift, while the reigning champions are currently five points clear.

Some have, however, attributed the positivity that is evoking at Tynecastle to Aberdeen’s collapse last term.

Jimmy Thelin’s side won 10 of their first 11 league games before going 12 points clear of Rangers, who finished the campaign 22 ahead of the Dons.

Former Rangers and Hibernian midfielder Kevin Thomson says Hearts fans have every right to be enthralled despite a stunning season opener like McInnes.

On BBC Sportsound, Thomson said, “The Hearts fans should be excited and get carried away.” They are also dancing and singing. We are fans of football because of this.

Can Hearts keep beating the rest, asks the question? Nobody can deny how challenging winning a lot of games on the bounce is. It’s a challenging question.

When Craig Halkett appeared at the back post in stoppage time and delivered an excellent finish, McInnes described Tynecastle as “berserk.”

Even that is mildly offensive.

The dramatic winner at centre-back makes this Hearts’ third Premiership victory after the 90th minute this season.

McInnes was quick to applaud his side’s mentality, but a rejuvenated Halkett has epitomized Hearts’ character in their unbeaten league debut following a number of injuries over the past few seasons.

Halkett returned toward the end of 2024 after only making 11 appearances during the campaign from 2023 to 2024 before a hamstring issue at the end of January.

The defender has played a significant role in Hearts’ first seven league games this season, contributing to three straight clean sheets in the previous three victories and adding goals in the previous two. He has featured in all but 45 minutes of action in all but 45 minutes of that period.

McInnes praised the center-half for his “excellent” performance in the derby victory, while Ryan Stevenson, a former Hearts forward, praised Craig Halkett’s performance.

“He looked brand-new all the way through his tough season last year. You would expect Lawrence Shankland to finish that way.

Liverpool’s high-wire act has been fraught with danger this season and the Premier League champions have now lost their balance spectacularly to fall from the top of the table.

Arne Slot’s reigning champions snatched wins with late goals in the early stages of the defence of their title, relying on dramatic final acts to escape to victory while disguising form that has been indifferent since the season started.

Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Arsenal, Burnley and Atletico Madrid all fell to last-gasp blows – but it was a high-risk unsustainable strategy, especially with Liverpool so far from their best.

And now they have received a bitter taste of their own medicine twice in seven days.

Chelsea’s deserved 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge came courtesy of Estevao Willian’s 95th-minute strike, while Liverpool’s first Premier League defeat of the season was inflicted by Eddie Nketiah’s 97th-minute goal for Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park.

In between these defeats, Galatasaray beat Liverpool 1-0 in the unique atmosphere of Istanbul’s imposing RAMS Park in the Champions League, Slot losing three successive games for the first time in his coaching career.

Slot was in defiant mood in the aftermath of another disappointment, going through his full range of brave faces while accentuating the positive in the face of evidence to the contrary.

“Last week, same as this week, the fine margins haven’t been in our favour,” Slot told BBC Match of the Day.

“In both games we’ve created more chances than the team we have faced – Palace and Chelsea – but the truth is that we have only scored once in both games and our opponent has scored twice.”

Fine margins indeed – but there is no denying the remarkable swing in fortunes. A staggering 10 goals have been scored after the 80th-minute mark in Liverpool’s 11 games so far this season.

The wins…

The defeats…

Late goals or otherwise, the brutal truth is that Liverpool have been a pale shadow of the side the cruised to the Premier League last season since the Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace, the tables being turned on them dramatically in the last week as the flaws that have been in evidence since that Wembley defeat have been exposed.

Liverpool have looked unbalanced after an influx of nearly £450m worth of new signings, the introduction of £116m Florian Wirtz into a role behind the strikers – whether it was £70m Hugo Ekitike or £125m Alexander Isak – leaving them more exposed through the centre.

The arrival of two new full-backs, Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, with instinctive attacking tendencies has also left Liverpool more vulnerable on the counter.

Slot gave Liverpool a more familiar look at Chelsea by dropping Wirtz to restore the title-winning midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai and Alex Mac Allister.

Liverpool were not quite as open, although Szoboszlai was moved to right-back when Conor Bradley was replaced at half-time, but for all Slot’s positive messages this was another largely flat display. They still almost got a point through Cody Gakpo’s equaliser after Moises Caicedo’s magnificent early opener for Chelsea.

This was until Estevao intervened as the biters of early in the season were painfully bitten back.

“I thought Chelsea just wanted it a little bit more,” said ex-England forward Wayne Rooney, who is a pundit on Saturday’s Match of the Day. “They showed more bite and determination in how they played. It wasn’t the Liverpool we’ve been used to watching and Chelsea definitely deserved the three points.

“I know that’s now back-to-back Premier League games where Liverpool have lost because of late goals but that’s just the way it can go. They obviously started the season really well, scoring late goals themselves, but have now had a bad spell, losing three times in the space of a week, and it can be difficult to get out of that type of slump.”

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin told BBC 5 Live Sport that Liverpool’s status as champions means they are firmly in the sights of their rivals.

“Arne Slot won the league in his first season and he’s had to change things up a bit,” said Nevin.

Mohamed Salah, one of the greatest players ever to pull on the Liverpool shirt, has been emblematic of their struggles.

Only a fool would write off the 33-year-old who has been applying brush strokes of genius since he arrived at Anfield from Roma in June 2017, but even this great appears to be currently suffering a crisis of confidence.

Salah uncharacteristically lost possession too often then, when played in by a clever Wirtz flick at the start of the second half, dragged a perfect opportunity to equalise wide.

The Egyptian’s shooting was also wild and wayward when he carved out shooting chances later in the half, his head bowed in disappointment at his own efforts.

Isak currently looks way off match sharpness, although he can claim an assist for Gakpo’s goal as he turned on Szoboszlai’s cross.

He headed a very presentable chance well off target from Salah’s cross in the first half, looking out on his feet when he was replaced by Hugo Ekitike with 16 minutes left, his last act a vain plea for a penalty when he clashed with Reece James.

Wirtz showed some nice touches but was again mainly on the edges of the action rather than a central figure.

After Liverpool regroup following the international break, they will justifiably expect a lot more from £241m worth of attacking talent in Wirtz and Isak.

From a team threatening to carry all before it earlier in the season, albeit without being at their best and relying on late goals, Liverpool now look rocky.

This has been the worst week for Slot since he succeeded Jurgen Klopp.

The Premier League champions have now lost their balance dramatically falling from the top of the table due to Liverpool’s high-wire act, which has been full of danger this season.

In the first few days of Arne Slot’s reigning champions’ title defense, the reigning champions used dramatic final acts to snag wins while hiding their lackluster season-caliber form.

It was a high-risk, unsustainable strategy, especially with Liverpool being at their worst, but Bournemouth, Newcastle United, Arsenal, Burnley, and Atletico Madrid all suffered last-gasp blows.

And now, in seven days, they have had their own medicine taste bitter twice.

Estevao Willian’s 95th-minute winner gave Chelsea a deserved 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge, while Eddie Nketiah’s 97th-minute goal for Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park caused Liverpool’s first Premier League defeat of the season.

In the Champions League, Galatasaray defeated Liverpool 1-0 in the distinctive atmosphere of Istanbul’simposing RAMS Park, with Slot losing three games in a row for the first time in his coaching career.

In the wake of yet another disappointment, Slot was in defiance of the evidence, displaying all of his bravery while highlighting the positive.

According to Slot, “Last week, same as this week, the fine margins haven’t been in our favor.”

“We created more chances than the team we faced, Palace and Chelsea,” according to the statement, “but our opponent only scored once in both games and twice.”

Fine margins indeed, but the remarkable fortune shift is unmistakable. In Liverpool’s 11 games so far this season, a staggering 10 goals have been scored after the 80th minute.

The wins…

The failures …

The brutal truth is that Liverpool have been a pale shadow of the team that won the League last year following Crystal Palace’s Community Shield defeat, and the blame has been turned dramatically on them since the last week as flaws have been exposed.

After a total of nearly £450 million worth of new signings, including the arrival of £116 million Florian Wirtz in a role behind the strikers, which left them more vulnerable through the centre, they have appeared unbalanced.

Liverpool has become more vulnerable on the counter with the addition of Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez, two new full-backs with instinctive attacking instincts.

By removing Wirtz, Slot restored the title-winning midfield trio of Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Alex Mac Allister, giving Liverpool a more familiar look at Chelsea.

Despite Slot’s positive messages, this was another largely flat display despite the fact that Szoboszlai was moved to right-back when Conor Bradley was replaced at half-time. After Moises Caicedo’s magnificent opening goal for Chelsea, they were still on the verge of scoring the equalizer.

Estevao intervened as the season’s early biters were painfully bitten back before they could get better.

Former England international Wayne Rooney, a pundit on Saturday’s Match of the Day, said, “I thought Chelsea just wanted it a little bit more.” They played with more vigor and tenacity than they did. Chelsea definitely deserved the three points, despite not the Liverpool we’ve grown to know.

“I am aware that Liverpool are now playing back-to-back Premier League games with late goals in them, but that’s just the way it can go.” It’s obvious that they did a good job of opening the season, scoring late goals themselves, but they’ve now had a bad week, losing three times in a row. It’s challenging to escape that kind of slump.

Former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin claimed that Liverpool are firmly in the sights of their rivals because of their title status.

Arne Slot won the league in his first year, according to Nevin, who has had to alter things a little.

One of the greatest players to ever grace the Liverpool shirt, Mohamed Salah, has been a hero of their struggles.

The 33-year-old has been applying blatant genius since arriving at Anfield from Roma in June 2017, but even this great appears to be having a crisis of confidence right now.

When a clever Wirtz flick at the beginning of the second half drew a perfect chance to equalize wide, Salah uncharacteristically lost possession too frequently.

Later in the half, the Egyptian’s shooting became wild and foolish, and his head bowed in dismay at his own actions.

Isak turns on Szoboszlai’s cross while looking far off-match sharpness, but he can get an assist in Gakpo’s goal as he does so.

With 16 minutes left, he was replaced by Hugo Ekitike, who had already made a vain plea for a penalty after he clashed with Reece James, and he headed a very presentable chance well off target from Salah’s cross.

Although Wirtz did some nice things, he was primarily a central figure rather than a character in the action.

After the international break, Liverpool will legitimately anticipate much more from the £241 million-worth of Wirtz and Isak attacking talent.

Liverpool now appears to be struggling from a team that threatened to carry it all before it did it earlier this year, despite not performing at their best and relying on late goals.

Slot has had his worst week since taking over Jurgen Klopp’s place.