Chelsea strolled past Nottingham Forest in the 3rd round of the Carabao Cup at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday night as quite a few of the fringe players got their chance to impress Antonio Conte. Charly Musonda made his full debut in Chelsea blue and got on the scoresheet along with the likes of Michy Batshuayi. Ethan Ampadu, who only turned 17 last week, came on to get a taste of the first team after his move from Exeter in the summer so, if you missed the game, you can find out how these players got on here.
Willy Caballero – 6
A fairly comfortable night for the Argentinian on his debut. Called into action a couple of times but nothing really threatened his clean sheet until Tendayi Darikwa pounced on confusion in the Chelsea defence in the latter stages.
Antonio Rudiger – 6
Was involved in the first goal as his cross from deep found Kenedy at the back post and also made a couple of key blocks at the other end.
Andreas Christensen – 6.5
Wasn’t called into action much but the fact that Chelsea conceded after he’d gone off spoke volumes.
Gary Cahill – 6
Led a team of younger and inexperienced players with his usual authority and encouragement but it looks as if he’s struggling for a starting place in the league.
Davide Zappacosta – 6.5
Heavily involved in attacking play and had a goal disallowed in the first half but is evidently a perfectly capable backup to Victor Moses.
Cesc Fabregas – 6.5
Controlled the tempo of the game as you would expect against lower league opposition and also recorded an assist. The Spaniard slipped through Charly Musonda on the right-hand side and the youngster finished from a tight angle.
Tiemoue Bakayoko – 6.5
Dealt with a physical Forest midfield with ease and allowed Fabregas to roam freely in order to create for chances. Almost scored himself but saw his long-range effort saved by Stephen Henderson just before the 3rd goal.
Kenedy – 7.5
Looks to have banished the demons of the pre-season tour where he was sent home for inappropriate behaviour on social media in China. Scored his 3rd Chelsea goal from close range after Antonio Rudiger’s cross from deep. It was a neat finish past the keeper at his near post. Marauded forward at every opportunity and managed to get in his fair share of crosses.
Charly Musonda – 8
The academy product, who spent last season on loan at Real Betis, really took his opportunity well to impress the manager and the fans with a goal on his full debut. He slotted home from the far right of the penalty area to make it 3-0 to the Blues before halftime. His game was full of flair and he certainly has no shortage of tricks up his sleeve.
Eden Hazard – 9 – Man of the Match
An outstanding performance from the little Belgian who started up front with his compatriots and, even though he didn’t score, he set up plenty of chances for his teammates. He waltzed through the Forest defence and toyed with the goalkeeper before putting it on a plate for Michy Bathsuayi, who scored his second. Hazard set up Batshuayi’s first strike and also hit the post during a dazzling performance.
Michy Batshuayi – 8.5
Another display of clinical finishing as he added three goals to the one who got against Qarabag last week. The first was a harder chance than the second but you would expect him to finish both of them because that’s the kind of player he is. Doesn’t need many chances to score, especially against the weaker sides. He scored again late on to secure the match ball.
Substitutes:
Ethan Ampadu – 6.5
Announced himself as a Chelsea player with a crunching tackle on Daniel Fox seconds after coming on and played an enforcer role in the centre of midfield. Didn’t look out of place.
Jake Clarke-Salter – 5.5
Made his first Chelsea appearance under Antonio Conte but couldn’t stop Tendayi Darikwa netting a consolation for Forest late on.
Dujon Sterling – 6
Another debutant for the Blues and played at right wing-back. Got just enough minutes to get a rating but an exciting prospect for the future.