Chelsea’s second string put eight past Noah to extend perfect start to Conference League campaign | OneFootball

Chelsea ran riot at Stamford Bridge, producing another dominant Conference League performance as they smashed eight goals past visiting FC Noah.

It was another run out for the Chelsea ‘B-team’ which has been tasked this year with Conference League and Carabao Cup matches. After a bruising 2-0 cup defeat on the road in Newcastle, this was the perfect occasion for the second string to get back to form.

Unfortunately for FC Noah, who had lauded this match as the biggest in their club’s seven-year history, things played out roughly as expected, with Chelsea, one of the world’s wealthiest clubs, running riot over their guests, who sit fourth in the Armenian Premier League.

While Chelsea are ranked almost 300 places ahead of Noah by UEFA, it would be the visitors who would have the first chance of the evening as a mishit pass from Benoit Badiashile saw the Blues’ backline scrambling back before Goncalo Gregorio’s shot was kept out by Filip Jorgensen. That would be the extent of their attacking joy on the night as the hosts would hit two in quick succession shortly after.

Tosin Adarabioyo grabbed the first, neatly heading Enzo Fernandez’s corner across goal and beyond goalkeeper Ognjen Chancharevich. The lead would be doubled moments later when Marc Guiu broke away and fired home home from the edge of the box for his first goal in blue.

Axel Disasi added a third just after the quarter-hour mark, his contribution almost a carbon copy of Adarabioyo’s opener as he turned in another Fernandez corner.

From there, Chelsea continued to run riot. Felix was next to add his name to the scoresheet, chipping a cheeky finish past Chancharevich to make it 4-0 with less than half an hour played.

A Mykhailo Mudryk screamer, curled into the side netting from outside the box, and another Felix tap in would see the score stretch to 6-0 at the half-time break as Chelsea set their sights on a record-breaking win.

The second half would likely have been more of the same had Noah not shifted into a lower block. The first half cushion allowed Enzo Maresca the chance to give some less regular faces a run out in the second half, though, as Carney Chukwuemeka made just his third appearance of the season. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Cesare Casadei were also handed some minutes.

Felix and Christopher Nkunku combined for a fantastic seventh with 20 minutes remaining, the Portuguese attacker beating his man with an audacious flick before feeding his teammate in behind. Nkunku’s first shot was well saved, but he fired home on the rebound for his ninth goal of the season.

His tenth would not be far behind. Dewsbury-Hall was pulled down in the box by Yan Eteki, the Frenchman dispatching the resultant penalty straight down the middle to make it eight on the night.

The result is Chelsea’s biggest European win since the creation of the Champions League in 1992, eclipsing a pair of 6-0 wins at home to Qarabag and Maribor.

Chelsea’s Conference League campaign continues a trip to Heidenheim after the November international break, where they will look to defend their spot at the top of the league phase.