Chelsea continue their flawless European record this season with their sixth win
The Blues have now scored 26 goals in six Europa Conference League games
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By KIERAN GILL
Published: 16:57 EST, 19 December 2024 | Updated: 16:58 EST, 19 December 2024
Chelsea’s 18-year-old striker Marc Guiu scored a first-half hat-trick to make it six wins from six in the Conference League on another evening when youth stole the show.
Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong enjoyed important initiations this week as each was appointed his own locker in the first-team dressing room at Cobham. Both 18-year-olds started here, while Harrison Murray-Campbell, also 18, made his debut from the bench.
That trio came through Chelsea’s academy, whereas Guiu was a £5million summer signing from Barcelona. Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku may be ahead of the teenager in the Enzo Maresca’s pecking order of strikers, but he used this European dead-rubber to show Stamford Bridge what he can do if given the chance.
Already qualified for the last 16, Maresca handed other minutes to youngsters such as Harvey Vale, 21, and Samuel Rak-Sakyi, 19.
The game was paused early on when toilet rolls began raining down on Nkunku as he prepared to take a corner by the away end. They were having fun, those fans, and might have been in dreamland if Johnny Kenny had only tapped in a cross from Darragh Burns like he should have.
Burns was responsible for Chelsea taking the lead after 22 minutes as he attempted to head back to his goalkeeper, only for it to fly over Leon Pohl entirely as Guiu accepted the gift.
Enzo Maresca's side have won all six of their Europa Conference League games this season
£5m summer signing Marc Guiu scored a first-half hat-trick to begin Chelsea's dominant night
The Blues remain the only team in the Conference League with a perfect record this season
Rovers equalised in the 26th minute when Markus Poom's shot deflected beyond Filip Jorgensen. But regular service resumed for Chelsea in the 34th, again via a Rovers mistake as Daniel Clearly’s undercut back pass was intercepted by Guiu as he scored from a tight angle. After 40 minutes, it was 3-1 as Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall tucked the loose ball into the corner.
Guiu sealed his hat-trick with the last touch of the half, heading in Noni Madueke's cross, with Marc Cucurella finding the corner from Nkunku’s assist for Chelsea’s fifth.