Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick as Chelsea breezed into round four of the EFL Cup by emphatically brushing aside League Two leaders Barrow 5-0 at Stamford Bridge. (More Football News)
Standing in for the in-form Nicolas Jackson, Nkunku stole the show with two goals in the first half before rounding off his hat-trick in the 75th minute as the much-changed Blues ran riot on Tuesday.
Nkunku opened the floodgates in the eighth minute, with the France international flicking in a second before Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman turned into his own net.
Pedro Neto made it 4-0 straight after the break, tapping home from Mykhailo Mudryk's centre.
Barrow may be top of the pile in England’s fourth tier, but they managed just one shot on target as Nkunku added further gloss before going off with 15 minutes remaining.
While Barrow will reflect on their first EFL Cup third-round appearance since 1967-68, Chelsea will aim to keep up their early season momentum when they take on Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday.
Data Debrief: Deja vu
Before this game, the only previous meeting between Chelsea and Barrow in any competition was in the 1947-48 FA Cup third round – the Blues won 5-0 at Stamford Bridge.
History repeated itself on Tuesday, as Chelsea (who mustered 3.0 xG to Barrow's 0.3) made it seven wins from their last seven EFL Cup ties against teams from the fourth tier. Job done in comfortable fashion for Enzo Maresca.
