Estevao's competition, Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers, were both involved in the goals against Brighton.
Young Chelsea winger Estevao Willian is 'worried' about his future at the club under new manager Xabi Alonso, according to reports.
Estevao arrived at Chelsea last summer in a pre-agreed deal worth £29 million. His debut season at Stamford Bridge had highs and lows, as expected from a teenager who played abroad for the first time.
Among the highs, his goalscoring performance in the 3-0 win over Barcelona at Stamford Bridge in November last year arguably takes the cake.
Unfortunately, the Brazil international also struggled with several injuries last season, including hamstring issues late in the campaign. In total, Estevao missed out on 17 games due to fitness-related problems throughout the season.
There have been a lot of changes at Chelsea in the summer, particularly with the arrival of Alonso as the new manager. These changes have benefited some but also proven detrimental to others. Estevao might feel he falls into the latter category.
According to ESPN Brasil , Estevao is particularly concerned about a likely struggle for minutes under Alonso.
As previously covered, Alonso's tactical shift from a back four to a 3-4-2-1 formation affects the wingers most .
The new formation adds another body at the back at the expense of an attacker, and instead of using two wingers, it has two wide number 10s.
Estevao, who is capable of playing as a number 10, is still in a better situation than the likes of Jamie Gittens and Geovany Quenda, who thrive on the flanks.
Like Pedro Neto, Gittens and Quenda may have to adapt to playing as wing-backs to get more opportunities .
Estevao, on the other hand, can easily slot in the front three. ESPN Brasil also claims that Estevao feels more comfortable playing centrally.
Additionally, he is reported not to be very keen on the prospect of playing as a wing-back, being worried about how the physical demands of this position, which likely require him to gain more muscle, could affect his playing style.
Unfortunately, vying for the number 10 spots means he directly competes with in-form Cole Palmer and Morgan Rogers. He mostly competes with the former, since both are left-footed attackers who like to operate in the right pocket.
Estevao is understood to have made it clear that he wants to stay at Chelsea. But if he only gets limited minutes in the next few months, he may change his stance and consider alternative options in the January transfer window.
The former Palmeiras starlet has featured twice in Chelsea's first three games of the season.
He started in the Carabao Cup second-round win over Luton Town and made a seven-minute cameo in the season-opener win over Fulham . He was left on the bench in Chelsea's home win over Brighton last weekend.
Estevao is under a long-term contract until the summer of 2033, so Chelsea should be under no pressure to sell. He is arguably also too important a squad member to be sent on loan just to develop.
On the bright side, Alonso insisted that he wanted to stay flexible with his system. This was evident in his decision to deploy a 4-2-3-1 formation against Luton Town. The more often Alonso juggles between formations, the more likely he is to keep Estevao, as well as his other wingers, for that matter, happy.
