Chelsea 5-0 Barrow – Five things we learned | OneFootball

Chelsea cruised past League Two leaders Barrow Town to reach the 4th round of the Carabao Cup, with Christopher Nkunku scoring twice in the opening 15 minutes to set Enzo Maresca’s much-changed team on their way to a 5-0 victory.

Here are five things we learned:

Chilly frozen out?

Maresca made 11 changes from the side that beat West Ham last weekend, but there was still no room for Ben Chilwell in the starting line-up. Maresca made no secret of the fact that he does not rate the England left-back, who got a warm reception from Chelsea fans when he started warming up in the 36th minute, and a huge cheer when he came on for the start of the second half. The Matthew Harding stand occasionally broke into chants of “Ben Chilwell’s won the European Cup” throughout the second half.

World’s most expensive reserves?

It should come as no surprise, given Chelsea’s crazy spending spree over the past couple of years, that the combined cost of the 11 reserves who started the game was more than many Premier League first teams. Chelsea spent over £400 million signing the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk, Pedro Neto, Christopher Nkunku, and Joao Felix, and the total went up another £50m when Chilwell went on at half-time. It is fair to say Barrow’s entire squad cost a tiny fraction of that amount.

Confidence boost for Nkunku

Christopher Nkunku has had a tough time since being signed amid great expectations from Red Bull Leipzig for £52m last summer, missing much of last season with injury and failing to nail down a regular spot in the forward line when fit. But things are looking up, having scored the winner as a substitute at Bournemouth two weeks ago, and now a hat-trick, albeit against modest opposition. If the Frenchman can stay fit and Maresca can find a way to play him AND Nicholas Jackson in the same forward line, he could finally fulfil his potential at Stamford Bridge.

Players united

There may be fierce competition for places at Stamford Bridge, with over 30 players vying for attention, but it was heartening to see a good show of unity from some of the first-team regulars who came along to support their mates despite being rested. Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke, Robert Sanchez and Jadon Sancho were among the stars to sit behind the subs’ bench, and Sancho even wandered into the press room at half-time to grab a sandwich and chat to one of the reporters who has known him since his youth days in south London.

Barrow not buried

Stephen Clemence, son of former Liverpool, Tottenham and England goalkeeper Ray, has moulded a decent side at Barrow, taking them to the top of League Two this season, and while they were effectively beaten by going 3-0 down inside half an hour, they never gave up and even threatened to score once or twice. They also threatened to score more than once, before Pedro Neto and then Nkunku’s third sealing the result.

Featured image credit: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images – via One Football