- Chelsea book spot in Carabao Cup fourth round with simple win over Barrow
- Nkunku netted impressive hat-trick
- Neto also on target for Enzo Maresca's side
Chelsea breezed to a routine 5-0 win over Barrow to book their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
The League Two outfit were simply no match for Enzo Maresca's side, who roared into an early 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Christopher Nkunku. An own goal had Chelsea 3-0 up at the break.
Pedro Neto tapped home just moments after the restart, before Nkunku completed his hat-trick to cap off a perfect evening.
How the game unfolded
Chelsea made 11 changes to their starting lineup but Enzo Maresca still went strong and kept all his academy players on the bench, and the Blues were 1-0 ahead after just eight minutes. Felix's brilliant scooped pass looped over the entire Barrow defence and found Nkunku, who timed his run perfectly and controlled his volley into the back of the net.
The second came seven minutes later as Malo Gusto's low cross again found Nkunku for a delightful flick beyond Paul Farman in the Barrow goal.
Felix contributed to a third shortly before the half-hour mark. The Portugal international bent a free-kick over the wall and on to the inside of the post, but the ricochet ended up in the back of the net after striking the back of the helpless Farman.
The momentum of the game continued into the second half and Neto tapped home an electric counter just two minutes after the restart following a smart cross from Mykhailo Mudryk.
Farman had to scramble across to stop an awkward volley from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, and the Barrow stopper got down well to deny Axel Disasi twice soon after.
Barrow had some nice moments when the clock ticked on but found clear-cut chances incredibly hard to come by, and they were fortunate not to fall further behind when Tyrique George sliced wide from close range.
Chelsea's wait for a fifth did not last much longer. With 15 minutes to go, Nkunku sealed his hat-trick as he pounced on a mistake from Farman and tapped home into an empty goal.
To their credit, Barrow did not lie down, with substitute Katia Kouyate standing out in particular, but there was never really any genuine threat on the Chelsea goal and the Blues saw out their win in comfortable fashion.
Chelsea player ratings (4-2-3-1)
GK: Filip Jorgensen - 6/10 - Didn't have a whole lot to do but dealt with everything that came his way comfortably.
RB: Malo Gusto - 7/10 - Lively in the inverted role and grabbed a smart assist for Nkunku's second goal.
CB: Axel Disasi - 7/10 - Rebuffed any pressure and provided a smart base upon which Chelsea built their attacks.
CB: Benoit Badiashile - 7/10 - Just like Disasi, Badiashile was involved in pretty much every move Chelsea made.
LB: Renato Veiga - 7/10 - Given a lot of responsibility on the ball and didn't disappoint. Played some great passes into his attacking teammates.
DM: Cesare Casadei - 7/10 - Made a slow start to the game but soon found his footing. Operated on an island of his own, playing several quick passes to keep things moving.
DM: Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall - 6/10 - Played a handful of smart passes but failed to stand out here. Most of Chelsea's best moments seemed to happen away from him.
RM: Pedro Neto - 7/10 - An uninspiring first half but wasted little time turning things around in the second half with a smart finish.
AM: Joao Felix - 8/10 - A real menace going forwards. Played a delightful pass for Nkunku's opener and it was his free-kick that led to the third.
LM: Mykhailo Mudryk - 7/10 - Like Neto, Mudryk was quiet for the first half and woke up after the break. His decision-making was impressive throughout. A nice assist for Neto.
ST: Christopher Nkunku - 10/10 - Two delightful early goals and great pressing to grab his hat-trick. A perfect showing.
Substitutes
SUB: Ben Chilwell (46' for Gusto) - 6/10
SUB: Josh Acheampong (63' for Disasi) - 6/10
SUB: Tyrique George (63' for Neto) - 6/10
SUB: Carney Chukwuemeka (76' for Felix) - 6/10
SUB: Marc Guiu (76' for Nkunku) - 6/10
Subs not used: Marcus Bettinelli (GK), Levi Colwill, Enzo Fernandez, Deivid Washington
Manager
Enzo Maresca - 8/10 - It can be hard to take much from games like this, but Chelsea were set up to assert the dominance expected of them. Perhaps could have been more adventurous with his rotation but several fringe players managed some much-needed minutes.
