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Chelsea confirmed their dominance in the Conference League by finishing the league stage on top after another emphatic home win against Shamrock Rovers.
Rovers started the day in sixth position but had no answer to the quality of Enzo Maresca’s side as striker Marc Guiu helped himself to a first-half hat-trick.
The Irish team threatened from the beginning when Johnny Kenny failed to finish off a dangerous cross and Guiu quickly punished him by taking advantage of a defensive error to score.
The visitors briefly equalized when Markus Poom, son of former Derby, Sunderland and Arsenal goalkeeper Mart, fired into the crowd.
Marc Cucurella scores 5️⃣ for Chelsea 🤩
📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK pic.twitter.com/booesylj6U
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 19, 2024
But another error allowed Guiu to put Chelsea back in front and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall all but sealed the victory with a clinical finish.
Guiu headed a Noni Madueke cross well while after the break Marc Cucurella burst into the area and finished like a centre-forward.
Chelsea will now play in the last 16 in March, while Rovers, despite the heavy defeat, have a place in the play-off round in February.
Marc Guiu is already the top scorer in the Conference League with 6 goals ⚡⚽️ pic.twitter.com/xGRSqP9Ygn
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) December 19, 2024
Is Guiu betting on his claim?
Guiu, the 18-year-old former Barcelona striker has yet to start for coach Maresca in the Premier League, but selected for the fourth time in Europe showed a poacher’s instinct to bury the visiting team, twice intercepting passes to the goalkeeper to score before heading home the third.
Chelsea enjoyed over 80 per cent possession during the first 25 minutes, but it took a disastrous defensive mistake to take the lead.
Renato Veiga lofted a looping ball forward for Tyrique George to chase. Darragh Burns got to him first but his wayward header towards his goalkeeper was woefully misjudged, allowing Guiu to come in and head Chelsea in front.
Daniel Cleary offered Guiu another gift when his return pass to Leon Pohls went unhit and went nowhere for his goalkeeper, but had the perfect trajectory for Guiu to get there first and elude Pohls to make it 2-1.
Maresca later sent academy graduates Samuel Rak-Sakyi, Harrison Murray-Campbell and Harvey Vale to try out European football, then 18-year-old winger George came close to opening his Chelsea account, something denied on the line by Rovers captain Lopes.
