The Frenchman has been behind Nicolas Jackson in the pecking of late, but he was in fine form at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday
Christopher Nkunku staked his claim for a starting spot with a hat-trick against Barrow in a sparkling showing alongside Joao Felix for Chelsea. Enzo Maresca made 11 changes to his team but any fears of an upset were over after just 15 minutes of the contest at Stamford Bridge. Joao Felix cleverly set up Christopher Nkunku for the opener with a lofted pass, before the striker flicked home a Malo Gusto cross to give Barrow a mountain to climb.
Chelsea's third arrived before the half-hour mark to effectively end the game as a contest. Felix's free-kick flew over the wall, hit the post and went in on off the back of helpless Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman.
The Blues then simply picked up where they left off after the break. Nkunku and Mykhailo Mudryk combined to tee up Pedro Neto for his first Chelsea goal and the Blues' fourth of the night.
Nkunku's hat-trick then arrived when he robbed a dawdling Farman and slotted the ball home to seal a comprehensive win and a place in the next round for Maresca's men.
GOAL rates Chelsea's players from Stamford Bridge…
AFPGoalkeeper & Defence
Filip Jorgensen (6/10):
Dealt comfortably with the very little that came his way.
Malo Gusto (7/10):
Back in the team and back in the assists. Sent in a fine cross for Nkunku to score Chelsea’s second. Taken off at half-time.
Axel Disasi (6/10):
Handed the captain's armband until Chilwell arrived at half-time. Came close to scoring but his header was saved.
Benoit Badiashile (6/10):
Not completely convincing against League Two opposition.
Ramon Veiga (7/10):
Looked confident and composed and played a part in two of the goals.
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Cesare Casadei (6/10):
Played in a deeper role than usual but eased himself into the game and looked comfortable in possession.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (5/10):
A few good moments and might have scored with an effort early in the second half but overall struggled to really impress.
AFPAttack
Pedro Neto (7/10):
Involved in the second goal and slotted home his first for the Blues straight after the break.
Joao Felix (8/10):
Combined superbly with Nkunku all night. Set up the opener with a lovely dinked pass and a great free-kick gave Chelsea their third.
Mykhailo Mudryk (6/10):
A quiet first half but much better after half-time and put one on a plate for Neto.
Christopher Nkunku (9/10)
Great showing from the striker. Scored a hat-trick and was involved in all of Chelsea's best moves.
AFPSubs & Manager
Ben Chilwell (6/10):
His Chelsea career had looked over but came on at half-time for his first minutes of the season and looked bright enough.
Josh Acheampong (6/10):
Put in a solid shift and will have enjoyed some rare first-team minutes.
Tyrique George (7/10):
Came on in the second half and missed a great chance to score his first goal.
Carney Chukwuemeka (6/10):
Some neat moments in his short time on the pitch.
Marc Guiu (5/10):
Couldn't add to Chelsea's tally.
Enzo Maresca (8/10):
Changed his entire team and saw his side cruise to victory. A healthy lead also allowed him to hand highly-rated talents Acheampong and George first-team minutes.