Chelsea 5 Barrow 0: Nkunku bags Carabao Cup hat-trick against minnows to give boss Maresca welcome selection headache
CHRISTOPHER NKUNKU took top billing as Chelsea turned on the style against League Two minnows.
The French striker scored a classy hat-trick and was then immediately substituted to a standing ovation.
Nkunku scored two in the first quarter of an hour then bagged the match ball with a quarter of an hour left.
He was then taken off to rest his legs for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brighton as Chelsea cruised into the fourth round.
That is six goals for the season so far for Nkunku who is pressing his case for more game time.
The £52million signing has started only two Prem games under new boss Enzo Maresca.
But on a night that Chelsea’s head coach changed his entire team from last weekend, there was still no place in the starting line up for outcast Ben Chilwell.
The one-time England left back played second fiddle to newly-acquired Portugal U21 left back Renato Veiga to underline just how grim his future looks at Stamford Bridge.
Chilwell eventually came on at half time to get his first competitive action for Chelsea since the FA Cup semi final defeat to Manchester City last April.
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Maresca enjoyed the entertainment as his rejigged team went ahead after only eight minutes.
Nkunku timed a run to perfection and latched onto a cheeky flick over the visitors’ defence by Joao Felix and volleyed in from ten yards out.
And he struck again seven minutes later thanks to even fancier footwork and diverted home a cross from Malo Gusto off the inside of his heel from even closer range.
Chelsea’s massively reshuffled team cruised to victory virtually unopposed as they dominated from start to finish against a team 64 places below them in the league.
The third goal arrived on 28 minutes in the shape of a wickedly curling free kick from outside the box.
Felix initially claimed it but the ball actually cannoned off the inside of the post and struck Barrow keeper Paul Farman to go down as an unlucky own goal.
Chilwell had been on for only three minutes when Chelsea pulled further clear on 48 minutes.
A mistake in midfield allowed Mykhailo Mudryk to charge clear and provide the assist across goal for winger Pedro Neto to bury a shot into an open net.
Barrow provided a brief threat to Chelsea when Kian Spence forced a diving save at the foot of the post from Blues’ keeper Filip Jorgensen.
The midfielder drew another decent stop out of Jorgensen on 68 minutes with a curling free kick from just outside the box.
But faint hopes of a comeback were extinguished when Barrow keeper Farman’s night went from bad to worse.
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Already harshly credited with an own goal in the first half, he then tried to dribble around Nkunku dangerously close to his line, lost out and watched helplessly as the Chelsea man rolled the ball in to claim his third.
The game marked the return from injury for right-back Gusto who has missed the previous two matches with a hamstring issue.
