Chelsea emerged victorious against Nottingham Forest with an emphatic margin of 5-1 at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday and qualified for the next round of Carabao Cup where they will host Everton. It was expected that Antonio Conte will rotate his starting eleven for this match due to the congested fixtures Chelsea would face in the upcoming days. Willy Caballero was in the Goal for Chelsea in place of their regular first choice Belgian Keeper Thibaut Courtois.
Gary Cahill was leading the defense along with Christensen and Rudiger. Kenedy and Zappacosta started as two wing-backs in two flanks.
Fabregas and Bakayoko was present in the heart of the midfield while Eden Hazard and Charley Musonda were in the upfront along with Michy Batshuayi.
The match began with all Chelsea attacks pouring at the Nottingham Forest’s defense and soon at 12th minute Chelsea got a very early lead when Kenedy pushed the ball toward the goal through a brilliant cross provided by Rudiger.
Chelsea doubled their lead when Michy Batshuayi scored from the pass of Eden Hazard at the 18th minute of the match. Charley Musonda got his debut goal for Chelsea at 39th minute from a difficult angle in the penalty box. The first half had ended with Chelsea leading with 3 goals at Stamford Bridge.
It was all too easy for Chelsea against the Championship side Nottingham Forest and they were trying to increase the lead in the second half. Michy Batshuayi scored again at 52nd minute of the match when Eden Hazard was too selfless to give the pass to Michy who was standing in front of the goal with no one marking him properly.
Chelsea youngster Ampadou was given a chance to show his skills when Fabregas was taken off the field at 55th minute of the match. Chelsea attacks were present all the time in the match and they were holding the most of the ball possession in their control.
Christensen and Zappacosta both were taken off to give chance to two Chelsea youngsters Jake-Clarke Salter and Dujon Sterling respectively at 70th and 75th minute of the match. Michy Batshuayi had completed his hat trick with another goal at 85th minute of the match.
It was a hat-trick by a Chelsea player in a match after a long time. But at the stoppage time Nottingham Forest’s substitute player Darikwa netted the ball with an weak effort at the bottom right corner of the goal. This was the last kick of the match and Chelsea could have avoided this goal to keep the clean sheet in the match. The match had ended with Chelsea ensuring the victory with a 5-1 scoreline.
The game had shown that the Chelsea youngsters are ready to perform in the big stage. Charley Musonda could prove to be a jewel for them if he gets the the chance regularly in this season. Michy Batshuayi’s hat trick will boost up his confidence level for the upcoming matches and he could have been used as the backup of Alvaro Morata when needed.
Chelsea will now face Stoke City on Saturday and a tough away trip is awaiting for them against Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League next week.
