Chelsea secured their sixth win in the UEFA Conference League, defeating Republic of Ireland side Shamrock Rovers 5-1 at Stamford Bridge on Thursday. Marc Guiu opened the scoring for the Blues before Markus Poom equalized for Shamrock. However, Guiu quickly added two more goals, either side of a Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall strike, completing his hat-trick. Marc Cucurella rounded off the scoring in the second half. Here are Chelsea’s key positives and negatives from the match.
Positives:
Marc Guiu’s Hat-trick and Performance
A player scoring a hat-trick is always special, and against Shamrock Rovers, it was 18-year-old Marc Guiu’s turn. His first two goals came from mistakes made by Shamrock’s defense. For the first, as Tyrique George was closing in, Darragh Burns’ header toward goalkeeper Léon-Maurice Pöhls fell short. But Guiu was there to head it past Daniel Cleary. The second goal came from Guiu pouncing on a backpass from Cleary to Pöhls, finishing calmly from a tight angle. His third was expertly headed home from a brilliant Noni Madueke cross.
This hat-trick marked Chelsea’s fourth of the season, following Noni Madueke, Christopher Nkunku, and Cole Palmer. Guiu now boasts six goals from just four starts in the Conference League, helping him finish as the competition’s top scorer in the group phase. His pressing game was solid throughout, and the teenager continues to improve with every match as he gains more minutes.
Dominant Performance Across the Board
Chelsea’s comprehensive win meant they secured six victories from six games in the group stage—no other team managed more than four. The Blues scored 26 goals, eight more than the next-best team, and no team had a better defensive record than Enzo Maresca's side. Besides Guiu’s hat-trick, goals from Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (his second of the season) and Marc Cucurella ensured Chelsea’s attacking dominance continued. Noni Madueke notched two assists in consecutive games, also providing an assist to Marc Cucurella against Brentford in the previous match. Cucurella followed suit, scoring in back-to-back games with his goal on Thursday. Although Christopher Nkunku couldn’t add to his five goals, his two assists kept him top of the goals + assists ranking.
The victory also saw Chelsea’s men’s and women’s teams win all of their group games in their respective UEFA competitions—a remarkable achievement for the club’s supporters and management alike.
Josh Acheampong Shines Again
Fresh from signing a new deal, Josh Acheampong maintained his place from the previous Conference League match and delivered another standout performance. He topped the charts in tackles won, ground duels won, touches, and completed 100% of his dribbles. Second only to Renato Veiga in accurate passes and passes into the final third stats, Acheampong demonstrated his growing importance. With Reece James still sidelined, Acheampong has proved he can fill in admirably whenever Malo Gusto needs rest. In the second half, he showcased his versatility by playing as a center-back after Axel Disasi was substituted. The young Englishman is only set to improve further with more minutes and experience.
Teenagers Shine, Debut Handed Out, and More Academy Minutes
Alongside Marc Guiu and Josh Acheampong, Tyrique George also started for the Blues. It was yet another solid outing for George. The fact that he has featured in all six group-stage games highlights the trust the management has in him.
In the second half, another academy graduate, Harvey Vale, was brought on for Noni Madueke. Additionally, Harrison Murray-Campbell made his debut, coming on in the 60th minute for Axel Disasi, and the young Englishman stood out with a promising performance. Sam Rak-Sakyi also made another appearance in the competition, coming on in the 82nd minute.
Negatives:
Lack of Clean Sheets
While Chelsea’s overall performance in the Conference League has been largely positive, one noticeable downside was the lack of clean sheets. Shamrock Rovers’ only goal came from a corner that resulted in a deflected shot by Markus Poom, which wrong-footed Filip Jorgensen after hitting César Casadei. Chelsea completed the group phase with just two clean sheets. However, the team was never really under threat in any of their six matches, dominating play and controlling proceedings comfortably, which softened the impact of this statistic.