It might all have been so totally different.
Armenian minnows FC Noah had the primary clear sight of aim in what descended right into a record-breaking 8-0 thrashing at Stamford Bridge on Thursday night time. Goncalo Gregorio squandered the golden opening, lashing the ball instantly at Filip Jorgensen.
Maybe it might have completed 8-1, however the Chelsea goalkeeper was not a passive spectator regardless of the one-sided scoreline. Noah rattled off 15 pictures, seven of which have been on course – registering extra efforts on aim than Manchester United, Liverpool or Manchester Metropolis managed towards the Blues this season.
Jorgensen stood agency and was not alone in shining on an evening which noticed Chelsea document the biggest win within the Convention League’s quick historical past.
The aid washing over Marc Guiu was palpable. There was no sense of restrained celebration for the 18-year-old given the extent of opposition he was up towards after stuffing in Chelsea’s second aim of the night time.
Guiu’s jubilation was comprehensible. The Barcelona academy graduate has been firmly locked in Chelsea’s second crew setup since his summer season arrival and marked his debut on this European competitors with a calamitous open-goal miss. Guiu by no means stopped hassling and harrying on Thursday, profitable the ball to fit in his maiden aim for the membership earlier than chasing again to spark the transfer which led to Joao Felix’s first strike of the night time.
Forward of Noah’s go to on Thursday night time, Enzo Maresca revealed the sense of “disgrace” that envelops him every time he leaves Joao Felix out of Chelsea’s beginning lineup for a Premier League fixture.
The £42m summer season arrival has amassed a grand whole of 122 top-flight minutes and is but to begin a league recreation this season. Felix did nothing to hurt his case for extra recreation time in midweek, scoring Chelsea’s fourth and sixth targets on an evening the place he maybe ought to have left with the match ball given the variety of alternatives his craft carved open.
Every week of soccer in Europe’s third-tier membership competitors wouldn’t be full with out a aim from Christopher Nkunku. The previous RB Leipzig ahead has scored in all 5 of Chelsea’s appearances within the competitors and netted twice on Thursday night time.
Dropped from Chelsea’s Premier League lineup after ambling via an opening-weekend defeat to Manchester Metropolis, the previous Bundesliga prime scorer unsurprising seems a reduce above the eclectic mixture of continental opposition.
Nkunku did not fairly have all of it his personal manner towards Noah – he handed up at the least three large probabilities – however the Frenchman took these frustrations out on his 76th-minute penalty. Chelsea’s Convention League killer blasted his spot kick down the center with such energy that Ognjen Cancarevic did nicely to dive out of the best way.
It has been fairly the autumn from grace for £106.8m Enzo Fernandez. As not too long ago as December 2022, he registered extra touches, passes and tackles than every other participant within the World Cup remaining. The Argentine as soon as once more stood out on Thursday night time, however was getting the higher of a membership shaped in 2017 somewhat than Kylian Mbappe’s France.
Chelsea’s skipper on the night time performed the ultimate move within the buildup to his facet’s first 4 targets – which arrived in a nine-minute blitz – however had his night reduce quick after being hauled off at half-time, although he’ll doubtless stay on the bench for Arsenal’s journey to Stamford Bridge within the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.
Romeo Lavia and Moises Caicedo are at the moment forward in Maresca’s pecking order however this was a good reminder from Fernandez about what he can do – below-par opponent high quality or not.
