"Just give us the trophy already", "What a B team" - Fans react as Christopher Nkunku's hat trick helps Chelsea defeat Barrow 5-0
Fans lavished praise on Chelsea after they outclassed Barrow by a margin of 5-1 in their EFL Cup Round 3 clash at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday (September 24).
Christopher Nkunku took the match home with a hat trick (8', 15' and 75'). He was helped by Pedro Neto (48') and Barrow goalkeeper Paul Farman, who scored an own goal (28') to make the scoreline 5-0.
Chelsea opened their account early with a Nkunku goal in the 8th minute. Joao Felix produced an inch-perfect chip to find the Frenchman with just the goalkeeper to beat. His second goal came seven minutes later when a cross from Malo Gusto was flicked home by the Frenchman.
The third goal was scored from a brilliant freekick by Felix, which was deflected home by goalkeeper Paul Farman. The next goal was scored after a counter-attacking move with new signing Pedro Neto applying the finishing touches.
Finally, Nkunku completed his hat trick courtesy of a mistake by Farman. The Frenchman nicked the ball off the shot-stopper and deposited the ball into the empty net.
Fans were quick to hop on to X and discuss the game after their club's emphatic win. Some popular reactions on X are as follows:
"Just give us the trophy already," wrote a fan on X.
"What a B team," lauded another.
"5 star performance indeed, I hope this win will boost the morale in the locker room and translate into better performances," opined another fan.
A fan quoted the famous words of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, tweeting:
"Am beginning to recognize my club again," tweeted a Blues faithful.
"5 goals and a clean sheet. We move," inferred another fan on X.
Christopher Nkunku opens up about his struggles after joining Chelsea last season
Christopher Nkunku recently opened up about his mental state after he joined Chelsea from RB Leipzig last summer. The Frenchman's 2023-24 season was filled with injuries, but he was motivated and ready to work despite the adversities.
In the pre-season after coming to Stamford Bridge, Nkunku sustained a knee injury which kept him sidelined until December. After returning to action, he could only play 14 games in the season across competitions before getting injured again.
Recalling the difficult period last season, Nkunku said (via Chelseafc.com):
"To be honest, I don’t have the feeling I had a first season here,’ admits Nkunku. ‘It was very difficult. I played just a little bit. Some minutes here, some minutes there. I was very frustrated all the season."
"Last year I didn’t have one moment in the season where I can say I felt good. After my knee injury, I didn’t feel like I now do. I had my knee, then my hip, then a muscle injury in a row. It never stopped. That’s why I was very frustrated," he added.
He ended his statement on a positive note, stressing the need to work hard and be happy:
"The most important thing now is to be ready to work and to be happy in myself. I wasn’t happy for one year, so the most important thing is to be happy. You cannot share moments with fans if you are not happy."
In the 2024-25 season, the former RB Leipzig marksman has already netted six goals in eight games across competitions for Chelsea.