Marc Guiu celebrates
Marc Guiu scored a hat-trick as Chelsea beat Shamrock Rovers 5-1
The boy from Barcelona made it look easy - and then got tipped for the top by a Chelsea legend.
Marc Guiu hit a first-half hat-trick against Shamrock Rovers, with Kieran Dewsbury-Hall and Marc Cucurella also scoring. Teenager Guiu, a £5m summer signing from Barca, now has six goals in six games in the Conference League.
And Blues great Joe Cole, on pundit duty for TNT Sport, gushed about the 18-year-old afterwards. Cole said: “This kid can score goals. He can be a big star for this club. How have Barcelona let him go?
“I liken Marc Guiu to Luis Suarez. I’m not saying he is Suarez now. But he haș that instinct and bravery. I think he can go all the way. I think Barcelona have made a mistake!” Before turning 18, Guiu became the youngest debutant ever to score for Barcelona.
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His next goal is to start in the Premier League. Maresca said: “Marc is a bit unhappy as Nicolas (Jackson) and Christopher (Nkunku) are doing well. With Marc the problem is we forget the age. He knows it is not easy for him with Nicolas and Christopher there.
“But he is taking his chances. I’m very excited for the future. It was a good chance for the young players.” Already through to the last 16 having won each of the five they had played, Maresca had the luxury to ring the changes.
You could hardly blame them. On current form they look the most likely to challenge Liverpool for the title. And they have a tricky trip to Goodison Park this Sunday to face an Everton team boosted by the Friedkin Group’s takeover.
So there were plenty of fresh young faces on show as the Blues faced Ireland’s most successful club. But no Mykhailo Mudryk, who almost certainly would have started had he not been provisionally banned for failing a failed drug test.
Rovers should have taken the lead - only for a totally unmarked Johnny Kenny to fluff his lines. Then, an error from Darragh Burns left Shamrock keeper Leon Pohls scrambling and Guiu pounced to score a gift.
The Dubliners equalised from a corner, Markus Poom smashing in via a deflection off Cesare Casadei. Bedlam ensued in the away end but Daniel Cleary’s backpass then let Guiu in for a second.
Dewsbury-Hall grabbed number three before half time, the ball running to him after Pico Lopes tackled Nkunku. Guiu completed his hat-trick with a glancing header and Cucurella eventually made it five with a shot from the edge of the box.
Dewsbury-Hall said: “People will say we are big favourites to win it and we probably are. It is a good vibe at the moment.” Rovers boss Stephen Bradley said: “At this level mistakes get punished. If they want to, Chelsea can win this competition.”
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