Chelsea strolled into the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night with a comfortable 5-1 victory over Championship promotion chasers Nottingham Forest.
Michy Batshuayi scored his first Chelsea hat-trick, whilst youngsters Kenedy and Charly Musonda, making his home debut, also found the back of the net.
Kenedy opened the floodgates at Stamford Bridge when he volleyed home from Rudiger’s brilliant cross into the area.
Eden Hazard shone for Chelsea, popping up all over the pitch, and his clever through ball was deflected into the path of Batshuayi, who flicked the ball past the Nottingham Forest keeper for 2-0. With five minutes of the half remaining Chelsea took complete control of the tie, when Musonda scored his first senior goal for Chelsea, a special moment for a player who has been on the cusp of breaking through at the club for years.
After half-time Chelsea added yet another goal, as Hazard unselfishly teed up Batshuayi having rounded the keeper. The game’s tempo was slowed by the introduction of three Chelsea substitutes – youth graduates, Ethan Ampadu, Jake Clarke Salter and Dujon Sterling all coming on for some well-deserved first team game time.
Batshuayi completed his hat-trick when the ball inadvertently rebounded off him following a Kenedy shot which had smacked the crossbar. The 4000 faithful Nottingham Forest fans also had something to cheer, when Tendayi Darikwa tapped home with the final touch of the game.
Here are the player ratings from the game:
Willy Caballero – 5, despite having almost nothing to do for much of the game, he somehow managed to play poorly. The keeper’s distribution was horrendous at times, alongside his questionable shot stopping. Chelsea should really look at bringing through a young keeper of their own to provide backup for Courtois.
Antonio Rudiger – 8, an excellent display again from Rudiger. His confidence on the ball has definitely improved and his tackling was impeccably well timed. He also assisted the opening goal with a lovely chipped cross, that demonstrated his ability to bring the ball out of defence and contribute further forward.
Andreas Christensen – 7, there is no denying his ability; his confidence at the back is incredible for a man of his age and he is brilliant with the ball at his feet.
Gary Cahill – 7, will be disappointed to have let a goal in so late on but a solid performance nonetheless, and his experience certainly helped the numerous young players settle into the game.
Davide Zappacosta – 6, he got into dangerous positions, but needed to be more wary of the offside flag.
Cesc Fabregas – 6, had a hand in three of the goals including the assist for Musonda, but he gave the ball away too often and was also guilty of giving away cheap free-kicks.
Tiemoue Bakayoko – 8, ran the middle of the park with his tough tackling and tireless bullying of the Nottingham Forest midfield, not letting them have a moment’s rest.
Kenedy – 7, a nice goal to open the scoring and a constant threat down the left. Were it not for his comments on the pre-season tour, Kenedy would probably be playing a bigger role in Chelsea’s squad this season. A player of undoubted quality, but he needs to find the right attitude to go with it.
Charly Musonda – 8, Musonda has been one of Chelsea’s brightest young talents since breaking through alongside Christensen and Nathan Ake, and his goal against Forest is a testament to his patience and eagerness to succeed at the club, where others haven’t. Musonda was a menace all night, and his link-up play with Hazard and Batshuayi was superb.
Michy Batshuayi – 8, his first hat-trick for Chelsea, this man certainly knows where the goal is if nothing else. His movement and hold up play were once again disappointing, but you just can’t argue with the stats – he’s now scored five goals in just two starts this season.
Eden Hazard – 9, he did everything but score today. His first assist for Batshuayi had a touch of fortune about it, but his second was pure class and he could came close to scoring more than once. Despite lacking match fitness, Hazard is looking close to being back to his best.
Substitutes:
Ethan Ampadu – 6, didn’t let the occasion get to him as he stepped right into the void left by Fabregas with ease. His passing was accurate, whilst his tackling was much the same. A solid outing for the 17-year-old, who’s clearly in Conte’s plans for the future.
Jake Clarke-Salter – 6, his distribution was good and he held a good defensive line, but in a game that was so one-sided, his performance was restricted to passing the ball into midfield and breaking up counter attacks.
Dujon Sterling – 6, had a good understanding with Musonda when he came on and their link up play created several openings. At just 17 years of age, Sterling already has the build of a fantastic wing-back – strong, quick and powerful.
