Christopher Nkunku hat-trick gives Chelsea manager ‘a nice problem’
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Chelsea's French striker Christopher Nkunku (second from right) celebrates scoring the team's second goal against Barrow at Stamford Bridge.
PHOTO: AFP
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LONDON – Christopher Nkunku scored a hat-trick to give his manager “a nice problem” as Chelsea thrashed fourth-tier Barrow 5-0 to reach the last 16 of the League Cup on Sept 24.
Nkunku now has six goals in eight appearances this season, but the Frenchman has still been unable to nail down a regular place in the side.
Key to that is the form of Nicolas Jackson, who has four goals and two assists, having started all five of Chelsea’s English Premier League matches this campaign.
Said Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca: “They’re both doing fantastic. Not only because they score, but because they work off the ball. The way they sacrifice for the team. This is very important for them.
“This is a nice problem when you have two strikers that continue to score. It’s nice you can decide which one and because they are in a good moment we can use them.”
But when pressed if the pair could play together, the Italian said: “It could be. But the problem is the defensive balance. We can think to place with Nicolas, Christo, Joao (Felix), Cole Palmer, Noni (Madueke), fantastic! But then who is defending? Me and you?”
Maresca made 11 changes from the team that beat West Ham United 3-0 in the league on Sept 21, but could still start with around £400 million (S$687.1 million) worth of talent.
Felix was another of the Blues’ big money signings to shine. His scooped pass set up Nkunku for the opener.
Nkunku then flicked home a second before Felix’s free kick hit the post and rebounded in off Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman.
Pedro Neto tapped in Mykhailo Mudryk’s cross for his first Chelsea goal. Nkunku sealed his first hat-trick for the club when he dispossessed Farman and rolled into an empty net.
Said Maresca: “If we have the chance, we try to share minutes with all of them. Happy for Pedro, happy for Christo and for Joao, for all of them.
“They all deserve to play from the start in the Premier League but they are not playing in this moment. But the way they take the chances when we give them minutes is fantastic.”
Manchester City’s Portuguese midfielder Matheus Nunes scores the team’s winning goal against Watford.
PHOTO: AFP
In other matches, Aston Villa’s second-string side were also pushed by lower-league opposition but Emi Buendia’s header and Jhon Duran’s penalty were enough to win 2-1 at Wycombe Wanderers.
Fourth-tier Walsall came closest to an upset as they forced Leicester City to penalties after a 0-0 draw.
However, the Premier League side won the shoot-out 3-0.
Newcastle United’s trip to Wimbledon was postponed after a sinkhole appeared on the League Two side’s pitch
The match has been switched to Newcastle’s St James’ Park on Oct 1.
Newcastle have contributed £15,000 to a fund to help repair the pitch at Plough Lane.
Wimbledon’s managing director thought he was looking at artificial intelligence-created images when he saw pictures of flooding at their Plough Lane home that led to more than 100,000 litres of water being pumped out of the stadium.
“I woke up to images from my stadium team. I thought it was AI,” James Woodroof told the BBC.
“It’s been 60 years since the water had reached this level and essentially we were totally overwhelmed by it. The entire stadium, the concourse and ground floor were under water.” AFP, REUTERS
