Enzo Maresca made 11 changes to his Chelsea line-up for the visit of Barrow in the Carabao Cup third round, but a fine start to the Italian’s Stamford Bridge tenure was never at risk of being derailed as Christopher Nkunku’s hat-trick secured a 5-0 romp over the League Two side.
The Blues were three goals up and out of sight inside half an hour with Joao Felix the ring leader in an overwhelming first-half attacking display, the forward who played 44 times last season for Barcelona making featherlight work of a team who were in the National League as recently as four years ago.
The Portugal international had a crucial hand in his side’s third goal, his free-kick striking the post and going in off Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman, that after Nkunku had scored twice in the first 18 minutes.
Nkunku went on to complete his first Chelsea hat-trick in the second half with his side’s fifth goal. Before that, Pedro Neto had registered another first, opening his Blues account with a tap-in from Mykhailo Mudryk’s square pass.
The game was also notable for the return of Ben Chilwell, on as a half-time substitute to a raucous welcome from home fans five weeks after being told by Maresca he had no future at the club.
The goals began flowing after eight minutes. Renato Veiga played a pass centrally to Felix who took a touch to evade the outstretched leg of Dean Campbell and hoisted a devilish lob forward for the run of Nkunku, the forward capitalising on his first start in four games with a shot that squeezed through the hands of Farman.
His second to make it 2-0 after 15 minutes was sublime. Neto’s back heel for Malo Gusto was cheeky, the right-back’s cross pinpoint and in at the near post stole Nkunku with an impudent flick across goal into the corner.
Chelsea by now were rampant and Felix was next to seek to get in on the act. It looked at first as though his sweetly struck free-kick had curled over the Barrow wall and bounced in off the post. Closer inspection revealed the ball had ricocheted back against the unfortunate Farman for an own goal.
Maresca’s side scored their fourth two minutes after the restart. Barrow were careless with possession in midfield allowing Nkunku to nip onto a loose ball and drive forward. He fed Mudryk advancing outside him and from there it was a simple task to find Neto for a tap-in at the far post.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall was denied his first Chelsea goal by a smart save from Farman, flinging himself low to his right to turn away the midfielder’s rasping drive.
At the other end Blues goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen got down well to prevent Kian Spence’s whipped free-kick from squeaking inside the post.
Barrow’s hopes of a giant-killing were long extinguished, but there was almost a fairytale of a different kind when 18-year-old substitute Tyrique George had a golden chance to open his Chelsea account, skewing his shot awkwardly wide with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Nkunku finally completed his treble moments later, Farman dribbling himself into a mess and gifting the ball to the France international who rolled in Chelsea’s fifth.
Let's start our Daily Laugh today. Every season Arsenal must sign at least one Chelsea player Arsenal Striker now Raya.... Latin/South American Teams are UNBEATEN After the First Round of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup! Lamine Yamal is spending his S̶c̶h̶o̶o̶l̶ Holidays with 30-year-old Spanish influencer Fati Vazquez… Relegation Zone Club – Manchester United will face THREE o...
Marcus Rashford wants to miss Manchester United's summer tour of America in favour of finding himself a new club.Ruben Amorim's squad are due to travel America next month to ramp up their pre-season preparations. But Rashford is desperate to avoid going if he has not secured an exit from Old Trafford, and will tell club bosses he wants to remain in England to resolve his future.It's understood Amo...
Liverpool are reportedly set to table a 'significant' offer for Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi. The defender has just one year left on his contract at Selhurst Park and is therefore expected to be on the move this summer.Guehi has been heavily linked with a move away from the Eagles over the past few seasons, with Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham all showing an interest in acquiring the services o...
Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min could soon be exiting the north London club.Once part of a formidable partnership with Harry Kane, there is no question the South Korea international's powers appeared to have waned last season.Thankfully, after an almost 10-year association with Tottenham, Son finally marked his time at the club with a trophy last season, lifting the Europa League under dep...
Maresca reveals if Chelsea will sign a replacement for MudrykChelsea boss Enzo Maresca has revealed whether the Blues will sign a replacement for Mykhailo Mudryk after the winger's doping charges."We had already one entire season almost without Misha last season. We tried to find different solutions with some of the academy players like Tyrique [George]."But we're going to decide to go for a winge...
Liverpool join race to sign Crystal Palace star Marc GuehiLiverpool have reportedly joined the race to sign Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi as they seek to bolster their back line this summer.The 24-year-old is widely expected to leave the FA Cup holders this summer with his contract set to expire at the end of next season.According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool are now looking to sign a new cent...
Arsenal to pay ABOVE Martin Zubimendi release clauseArsenal will have to pay above the €60m release clause in Martin Zubimendi's Real Sociedad contract to get the deal done this summer.The 26-year-old has been in talks with Arsenal over a move from Spain to North London for the past six months and it’s now reaching Its climax.Personal terms were agreed some time ago but the clubs have ...
Lionel Messi celebrates his free kickLionel Messi’s 50th Inter Miami goal in only his 61st appearance for the club sealed a 2-1 comeback win over FC Porto in their FIFA Club World Cup Group A clash, securing a first-ever victory in the competition.Both sides contested goalless draws in their respective opening matches, but the deadlock was broken after only eight minutes in Atlanta through a...
Man City handed Premier League fine ahead of 115 charges verdictMan City have been slapped with a 3800k fine by the Premier League for repeated late kick-offs as they await the verdict for their alleged 115 charges.Pep Guardiola’s side have been fined approximately 3800,000 after admitting to nine breaches of Premier League Rule L.33, which governs punctuality for kick-offs and second-half r...
Man United set to miss out on goalkeeper target after Napoli talksMan United look set to miss out on one of their reported goalkeeping targets with Vanja Milinkovic-Savic in talks with Serie A champions Napoli.United had been heavily linked with the 28-year-old with current number one Andre Onana failing to convince since his move back in 2023.According to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, Milinkovic...
- 1 DONE DEAL: Marseille confirm CJ Egan-Riley signing from Burnley
- 2 Chloe Kelly enjoys sun-kissed holiday as Arsenal star rests before Euro 2025
- 3 Jack Grealish set to leave Man City this summer
- 4 Man Utd have Hugo Ekitike 'advantage'
- 5 Transfer news & rumours LIVE
- 6 Stunning Euro U21 reporter dubbed 'queen of Europe' in bold dress
- 7 Man Utd make decision on replacing Andre Onana with Emi Martinez this summer
- 8 DONE DEAL: Celta Vigo sign permanently Ilaix from RB Leipzig
- 9 Real Madrid eye a trio of targets
- 10 Maddison and Wag announce they're expecting twins AGAIN