Chelsea 5-0 Barrow Players Ratings as Nkunku steals the show with a stellar hat-trick

Chelsea cruised to an effortless 5-0 win against League Two side Barrow in the EFL Cup third-round game, with Christopher Nkunku and Joao Felix being the headline act with their stellar performances.

It was one-way traffic from the very beginning as the Blues smothered over the League Two minnows. Nkunku put the hosts head within ten minutes with a composed finish after linking up brilliantly with Felix. Malo Gusto set up Nkunku’s stunning back-heel finish before Felix scored an outstanding free-kick to triple the lead. 

Three minutes into the second half, Pedro Neto slotted home an easy finish after a lay-off by Mudryk, thanks to Barrow’s lacklustre defence. Nkunku capped off his hat trick with the easiest of finishes, aided by goalkeeper Paul Farman’s sloppy mistake.

Barrow were overwhelmed by Chelsea’s enthralling performance as they managed only one shot on target. Meanwhile, Enzo Maresca’s men have been on a roll lately, picking up three consecutive victories while scoring 9 goals in the process.

Chelsea Player Ratings vs Barrow

Goalkeeper

Filip Jorgensen: 6/10 – wasn’t involved a lot due to Barrow’s inept attack. Looked confident even with a couple of actions and the young shot-stopper will be happy to keep a clean sheet

Defenders

Renato Veiga: 7/10 – A great performance from the Portuguese international. Provided the pre-assist to Chelsea’s opener and his passing range completely caught Barrow off guard. Also showed his defensive prowess on a couple of occasions.

Benoit Badiashile: 6/10 – A great evening for Badiashile although he was tested a little by the opposition. Was good aerially and thwarted Barrow’s attack when they tried to up the momentum in the latter stages.

Axel Disasi: 6/10 – Often strolled in the backline due to Barrow’s prolonged lull in the attack. Was constantly trying to progress the ball with his long passes.

Malo Gusto: 6/10 – A confident display on his return from injury. Was rarely tested on the defensive end but showcased his ball-playing abilities by slotting into the midfield at times. Was hauled off at half-time.

Midfielders

Cesare Casadei: 7/10 – The Italian youngster should have gained the trust of Maresca following his assured display. Was 100% successful in his tackles and won a game-high five aerial duels.

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall: 5/10 – Didn’t have the same impact as his midfield partner but getting a considerable amount of minutes will boost his confidence

Joao Felix: 8/10 – The Portuguese international dropped a masterclass in the No.10 position. Set up Nkunku’s first with a delightful dink and scored a brilliant free kick. A performance that would give him a lot of confidence

Attackers

Pedro Neto: 7/10 – A top-class performance to showcase his potential. Constantly caused trouble with his dribbling on the right-hand side and rightfully found the score sheet.

Mykhailo Mudryk: 7/10 – Started quietly, the Ukrainian looked more dangerous when he grew into the game. Proved to be a nuisance to Barrow defenders with his pace, dribbling and crosses. Laid off an assist to Pedro.

Christopher Nkunku 9/10 : Oozed class throughout the game. Scored a brilliant hat-trick with his backheel finish taking the cake. The Frenchman is starting to hit the strides as he has already six goals to his name this season.

Substitutes

Ben Chilwell: 4/10 – Came in after the break but didn’t make any telling impact.

Tyrique George: 4/10 – Squandered a great opportunity to get on the score sheet as he fired his shot wide

Carney Chukwuemeka: N/A

Josh Acheampong: N/A

Marc Guiu: N/A

Manager

Enzo Maresca: 8/10 – The Italian manager offered opportunities to plenty of youngsters and sparsely-tested players and the result was nothing but extraordinary. Maresca would be happy with the quality of the squad depth. 

Also Read: Manchester City vs Watford Player Ratings as Doku and Nunes score to help secure a simple 2-1 win

Barrow Player Ratings vs Chelsea

Goalkeeper

Paul Farman: 2/10 – Had an erratic evening. Had no clue for the first two goals and painfully Felix’s free-kick bounced off his back from the post before rolling into the net. It went from bad to worse when he gifted his hat-trick with an unbearable gaffe.

Defenders

Ben Jackson: 3/10 – Sloppy on possession and defensively even worse. The Chelsea attackers proved too much for Jackson

Chris Stokes: 3/10 – Endured a disastrous outing and was at complete fault for Neto’s when he could have easily cleared the ball in the first place

Theo Vassell: 4/10 – Made a couple of clearances that didn’t stop him from enduring an all-out assault by the home side

Rory Feely: 3/10 – Couldn’t match up with Mudryk’s pace down the right flank and didn’t make any meaningful contribution

Midfielders

Dean Campbell 3/10: A lacklustre performance as he failed to intercept Veiga’s ball that led to Chelsea’s opener.

Sam Foley: 3/10 – Looked all over the place for the entirety of the game

Kian Space: 4/10- Some decent efforts by Space both on and off the ball but couldn’t impact the game.

Attackers

Elliot Newby: 3/10 – Shifted to a deeper position as the game progressed. A performance which was nothing to write home about

Emile Acquah: 2/10 – Hardly made his presence felt in a toothless-attack

Gerard Garner: 2/10 – Often stranded up front when Barrow tracked back and hence could be of no help in counter-attacks either. His touches were also off the mark.

Substitutes

Neo Eccleston: N/A

Dom Telford: N/A

Junior Tiensia: N/A

David Worrall: N/A

Katia Kouyate: N/A

Manager

Stephen Clemence: 2/10 – Clemence should have forecasted the odds would be stacked up against a dominant Chelsea side at their home. The League Two leaders saw nothing go their way on a miserable night, let alone Clemence’s tactics. 

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